Repatriation
by transmutejun
Summary: The third story in my Trials trilogy. Although Princess has returned to Earth, her troubles are not over. Can she trust, and can she be trusted?
1. Chapter 1

Sorry I took so long to post this. I hope it is worth the wait! And if not, well, that's my own fault, isn't it?

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Chapter 1

"I'm… alive?"

"Of course you are."

"But… I died…" My eyes remained closed, stubbornly refusing to accept the truth. "I died… and Mark was there…" Maybe I was hallucinating…

"You weren't hallucinating."

"Norei?"

My eyes finally popped open, looking up to see my friend and sometime cellmate sitting next to me. I was lying on some kind of hospital bed, in the most advanced medical center I had seen in the better part of a year. Wait a minute.

"The Phoenix?" I sputtered. "We're on the Phoenix?"

"Where did you think we were?" Norei smiled.

"I didn't know." I admitted. "The last thing I remember, I was being overrun by soldiers…"

"You could have died." Norei acknowledged, bowing her head. "I should have been there with you. But instead…"

"You were dealing with your own issues, last I saw." I recalled. "Did everyone get to the transport?"

"We were ready to leave, yet I insisted we wait for you." Norei revealed "But… you didn't come."

"I'm glad you would all have escaped, even without me."

"It no longer matters. We are all here. Your Team arrived at the end of the battle." Norei informed me. "Just like men… arriving too late to do any real work." She grimaced with a sour expression.

"Mark... Mark is here…" My hazy mind was slowly grasping the reality of my situation.

"He was here, earlier." Norei revealed. "Also, the other one with the blue… Jason." Her mouth twisted distastefully.

"They were here?"

"Jason provided rudimentary medical care." Norei explained. "He asked questions. He is somewhat… irritating."

"Really?" I couldn't help the grin that came to my face. "That's interesting. Usually the Spectran women can't help but fall for his charms."

"I can't imagine why."

"I'll bet you can't." I laughed, but then my expression turned serious. "Where is Mark?"

"He came to see you, while you were unconscious, but then he had to return to his station."

"His station… the Bridge?"

"Yes."

"Oh…" A surge of disappointment passed through me.

"But he left something for you." She presented a small grey box, fairly industrial and utilitarian. Carefully I reached out, opening the box with a slow curiosity.

Inside the box was a brand new G-Force communicator.

"Oh!" I cried, a tear slipping from my eye. I took out the bracelet, holding it reverently, as if it were made out of the most delicate and expensive precious metals. Eagerly I placed it around my wrist, smiling as the band bonded together and shrunk to fit my slim arm. My implant hummed happily, connecting with the new device and issuing protocols.

This meant the world to me. It meant that Mark had no doubts; that Chief Anderson had no doubts. No matter how long I had been a prisoner of Spectra, they wanted me back on their team.

"G3 calling Commander." I whispered into the golden faceplate.

"Princess!" Mark sounded surprised, but pleased to hear from me. "You're awake!"

"And I'm wearing your wonderful present." I sniffed happily.

"I'll be right there."

I looked up at Norei, my heart overflowing with joy.

"He's coming…" I whispered.

"He was here before." Norei sniffed, but I could tell that she was happy for me. I heard the sound of footsteps, and looked up to see my Commander standing in the doorway.

"Mark!" I beamed.

"Princess." he smiled, moving over toward my sickbed. Norei considerately moved away from my other side, settling herself down on the adjacent bed.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to see you…" I told him in a trembling voice.

"I know _exactly_ how long it's been." he corrected me. "Eight months, four days, sixteen hours and thirty-seven minutes… more or less." I stared at him in surprise, my cheeks glowing pink with pleasure.

"I… I've been waiting too." Mark admitted, glancing nervously over at Norei. She had her back turned to us, but it was clear that she couldn't help overhearing every word. Of course, she had only ever spoken Spectran to me, but Mark didn't know that.

"Ever since you were captured, I've been berating myself. How could I have let this happen?"

"I'm glad I was captured." I assured him. "It meant that _you_ weren't. I would do it again, endure it all again, to keep you safe, Mark."

"It looks like you endured quite a lot." he noted, eyeing my wrist critically. Its round softness was gone, the bones sticking through the skin in a skeletal fashion. The communicator's snug fit made this disparity even more evident.

"I'm home now." I told him. "That's all that matters."

"Well, not quite yet." Mark admitted. "We're approaching Earth, but before we go to Center Neptune, we'll have to stop at Galaxy Security Headquarters."

"Why?" I asked, frowning.

"The prisoners... uh… Spectran refugees…" Mark stumbled over his words somewhat. "The Chief wants them at Headquarters."

"No!" I pushed myself up a bit, to better look the Commander in the eye. "We can't do that to them, Mark! I promised them they would escape. I didn't promise them another incarceration! They're not prisoners, Mark. Not to us."

"I agree." Mark appeared torn. "But the Chief…"

"Tell the Chief that I will personally vouch for everyone."

"I'm not sure…"

"I thought you trusted me, Mark." I said reproachfully. "Doesn't this mean that you're willing to take my word?" I held up my left arm, displaying my new communicator.

"I do trust you, Princess." Mark rushed to assure me. "But Chief Anderson doesn't want these women coming to Center Neptune, and frankly, I understand his concerns."

"What about Camp Parker?" I asked on impulse. "There's plenty of room there. The place is set up for fifty dignitaries to have conferences. And the security is unbelievable! My friends wouldn't have to be locked up anywhere, and could move about freely."

"I like that idea." Mark agreed. "I'll run it by the Chief."

"Whatever happens, Mark… I'm staying with them."

"What?" Mark's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"I'm the only non-Spectran they know: the only offworlder. I won't let them down. I can't abandon them."

"I… I understand." Mark nodded. "I'll do my best."

"Thank you, Mark." I smiled at him, pleased to see his cheeks flushing for a moment.

"You… you look much better when you smile." he said softly.

"I feel much better, now that you're here." I admitted.

"Commander to the Bridge!" Mark's communicator beeped. I recognized Tiny's voice coming from it. I smiled again. I really _was_ home.

"I have to go, Princess… but I'll be back as soon as I can." Mark assured me.

"I'm counting on you, Mark." I told him, letting him know that I was speaking about more than simply seeing him again. He nodded before leaving the room.

"That didn't take as long as I thought it would." Norei remarked. I jumped, having forgotten that she was present at all. It was strange, having the world of my imprisonment collide with my role on G-Force.

"What didn't take as long...?"

"Either your Commander is completely besotted with you, or he actually has a modicum of sense." Norei murmured. "Amazing."

"You heard?" I was astonished. "Wait a minute… we were speaking in Federan!"

"I understand some Federan. It was part of my training."

"You never told me!"

"You never asked."

I sighed in frustration, but I couldn't help smiling.

"You're right, I didn't. Now, what did you mean when you said that Mark had a 'modicum of sense'?"

"I didn't think he would agree so quickly to your request." Norei explained. "I was expecting to be incarcerated the moment we reached the Federation."

"Mark understands." I assured her. "He has a heart; he is compassionate. And he understands that not all Spectrans are the enemy."

"Still… does he know of my past? Of any of our pasts?"

"No, of course not. He hasn't had a chance to find out. But I vouched for you. He trusts me."

"That much is clear." Norei agreed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I never found out how much arm-twisting it took on Mark's part, but the Phoenix flew straight to Camp Parker. When we arrived, the 'guest wing' that was normally used for visiting dignitaries was already set up for the new arrivals. Norei and I were installed in a large room at one end of a long corridor, and two nurses were engaged to watch over us. However this was insufficient for either of us to move right in. Chief Anderson had insisted that we be 'looked over' in a Federation hospital first. His preference was for me to go straight to Center Neptune, so that my implant could be accessed to better determine the nature of my injuries. I couldn't argue with that, but insisted that Norei accompany me there. The Chief wouldn't hear of it, and so the two of us were taken to a Galaxy Security hospital in Center City. My personal physician from Center Neptune, Dr. O'Connor, met me there.

I spent twenty-four hours being poked and prodded and operated on by GalSec medical staff, much of it while I was sedated. The moment I was lucid again I insisted that I return to join the other women. When Mark backed my request as Commander of G-Force, and Chief Anderson permitted the transfer. And so it was, less than thirty-six hours after I had nearly died in a Spectran hangar attempting to escape, that I found myself ensconced in a luxurious room at Camp Parker, clean and comfortable, attacking a Spaceburger with soft cries of delight.

"This Federation food is unfamiliar to me," Norei admitted, "but it does taste good."

"I think just about anything would taste good after an endless diet of mush and pureed starch." I noted between bites.

"True." Norei agreed.

Women had been coming in and out of our room in a steady stream, all of them wanting to express their gratitude for medical attention, fresh clothes, baths, hot food, comfortable beds. It was clear that many of them wanted to return to Spectra, but for now, they were simply thrilled to be enjoying the small luxuries they had been denied for so long. But now, for the moment, Norei and I were alone. One of our nurses had chased off our visitors, declaring that we 'needed to eat too'.

"So you never told me," I asked, "what was your official diagnosis at the hospital?"

"Laser bullet wounds." Norei shrugged. "Severe burns and a broken rib. Hardly remarkable, given what we went through."

"They were most concerned about my concussion." I revealed. "But it seems as if everything is healing well."

"You are looking much better." Norei noted with a critical eye.

"I'm a fast healer." I shrugged off her observation. Despite what we had been through together, I was still a little uncomfortable revealing details relating to my cerebonics. Fortunately, any further conversation was cut off as the door to the room opened.

"Keyop!" I exclaimed happily. "Tiny!"

"The little guy really wanted to see you." Tiny revealed. "So I agreed to take him." Keyop was already wrapped in my arms, and he had practically climbed into my lap. I suspected that he might have done so already, if not for the meal table that had been swung over the bed.

"I missed you, Keyop." I said, ruffling his hair. "And you too, Tiny."

"Princess… long time…"

"I know." I agreed. "The staff at the hospital said that I have been gone for eight months! I can hardly believe it!"

"Chief said… no visit… but… couldn't wait…"

"Are you disobeying orders, Keyop?" I was about to lecture him, but decided not to when I saw the expression on his face. "Well, I'm glad you did. I've been wanting to see you as well. You don't know how many times I thought of you, and wondered how you were doing."

"The Chief wanted to debrief you before we had 'personal visits'." Tiny revealed. "But I figured… if I came along too…"

"I understand, Tiny." I smiled at him. "Would you like a Spaceburger?" I gestured to the uneaten pile on my plate.

"Uh, no thanks." Tiny appeared embarrassed. "I think you need it more than I do." His eyes flickered over my thin frame.

"Trust me, Tiny, I have far more than I can manage." I assured him, yet I noticed he didn't make a move toward the plate. I hadn't yet had a chance to look at myself in a mirror, but I figured that I must appear pretty awful for people to keep treating me as if I was made of glass.

"Coming back… to Center Neptune?" Keyop asked.

"I would love that." I sighed. "As soon as I'm released by the medics…" I drifted off, realizing that I had other responsibilities as well.

"I also need to see that my friends are settled." I added.

"Settled?" Keyop appeared confused.

"Well… whatever they want, I suppose." I hadn't thought much about the long-term ramifications of bringing three dozen women with me as I 'escaped' from the Spectran prison where I had been held for more than half a year. "If they want to go back to Spectra, or stay here, or go to another Federation world…"

"Uh… I think this is the stuff we're not supposed to talk about." Tiny mumbled. His eyes flickered over to Norei nervously, as if he wasn't officially allowed to acknowledge her presence.

"Oh." The expression of surprise on my face must have been comical, because Keyop laughed.

"Doesn't… matter…" he burbled. "You're here…" He embraced me again, holding me tightly.

"Wow, Keyop, I can hardly breathe!" I joked, but he pulled back, an expression of horror on his face.

"Didn't mean… to hurt…"

"You didn't really hurt me, Keyop." I smiled. "I was just joking."

"Oh…" Yet his face remained uncertain.

"Do I really look _that_ bad?" I asked Tiny.

"You look… like you've been through a lot." Tiny admitted.

"Maybe it's better then that I haven't seen a mirror yet."

"Get… better…" Keyop nodded vigorously.

"I plan to." I agreed, hugging him again. He returned the gesture, but much more gently than he had previously done.

"I think we should go now." Tiny murmured. "We're not really supposed to be here…"

"Don't worry, I won't tell." I grinned. "And if they find out, tell the Chief that I ordered you here, as your superior officer."

"Yeah…" Tiny grinned sheepishly. "Like the Chief would buy that one."

"Don't know… 'til we try!" Keyop pointed out.

"Let's hope you don't have the opportunity to find out." I added.

"Bye, Princess." Tiny said, leading Keyop out of the room. They waved and I returned the gesture until the door had closed again.

"They care for you." Norei observed.

"I told you, we're a family." I reminded her. "We're used to being around each other all the time… It must have been killing Keyop to know I was here, but not see me, after all this time."

"He is… related to you?"

"No, not officially." I shook my head. "But it feels like he is. I've raised him since he could barely walk."

"I see…" Norei's expression was indecipherable.

Just as I was about to get back to my meal, the door opened again, this time to reveal Jason and Mark. Unlike Keyop and Tiny, who had been in their civilian clothing, Mark and Jason were both in full uniform.

"Norei, I thought you might want to take a walk." Jason suggested. "Many of the other women are enjoying the gardens and I figured you might want to join them."

"It has been a long time since I have been outside." Norei admitted. "But you do not have to make excuses. If you wish me to leave, so the G-Force Commander can have some privacy with Princess, then I will do so."

"Yeah." Jason shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "Whatever way you want to look at it."

"It will be good to see the others." Norei declared, slowly sliding her legs off of her bed. Jason moved to assist her, but she glared up at him.

"Stay away!" she snarled. "I do not need a man's help!"

"Fine." Jason smirked, leaning back against the wall, crossing his arms and legs. He pulled out one of his feather darts and began to chew on the tip, watching with amused eyes as Norei pulled herself out of bed. To her credit, she didn't show any indication of pain, other than perhaps that she moved more slowly than usual. Despite wearing nothing but a pair of pajamas, she held herself as regally as a queen.

"Now, you may show me to this garden." she declared magnanimously, as if she was doing Jason a great favor.

"Well I can see that this is going to be fun." Jason noted sarcastically. "You owe me, Commander."

"I'll make it up to you, Jason." Mark promised. He watched as the mismatched pair left the room, not even acknowledging my presence until they had departed.

"I though you weren't supposed to be here." I observed as the Commander sat down in a chair next to my bedside. Mark was generally a stickler for rules, so I was surprised to see him bending them to this degree.

"I have special permission from the Chief." he admitted. "Part of the deal was that Norei couldn't be here."

"I see." I replied, although I didn't. "What's wrong with me? Why doesn't the Chief want anyone to see me?"

"He's worried that you might have been… compromised." Mark said quietly. My eyes searched his face, but I found his expression to be unreadable.

"Compromised… You mean, he thinks I've defected?" The blood rose to my face as my eyes flashed with anger. "What, he thinks I'm like Don Wade? That I went willingly? That I was living in the lap of luxury, revealing G-Force secrets behind your backs?" My hands balled into fists as my fury grew hotter. Mark's face hardened, and the horrible truth filtered into my brain.

"You think… that's what _you_ think!" I accused. "Here I had been… I…" I couldn't help the tears spilling down my cheeks as my anger gave way to disappointment.

"I thought you knew me better than that, Mark." I said coldly.

"I didn't want to…" Mark replied, and I could now see an intense sadness behind his austere gaze. "I still don't. But…"

"But what?" I raised my left arm, thrusting the communicator attached to my wrist in his face. "You gave me this. Did you trust me then? Or was it just to lull me into a false sense of security?" Mark turned away, refusing to respond.

"I can't believe it! You're… you're worse than the Spectrans ever were!" I turned away myself, burying my face in my hands.

"And how is that, Princess?" the Commander asked emotionlessly.

"At least they were honest as to their attitudes about me!" I burst out, shouting at his implacable form. "I knew they hated me, I knew that they wanted to make me miserable, maybe even kill me. I knew where I stood! But this… rescuing me, pretending to be happy that I'm back… and all the time, you think I'm a traitor!"

"_Are_ you a traitor, Princess?"

"I refuse to acknowledge that question," I replied coldly, "on the grounds that you should already know the answer."

He didn't respond immediately, and the frosty air hung between us like an imminent storm.

"Is there anything you'd like to tell me, Princess?" Mark asked, his words cold and stilted. "Anything you'd like to explain?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I huffed. "Sure, I haven't had a chance to tell you everything that happened to me, but it's not like we've had more than a couple of minutes to talk."

"Anything about you…" Mark's hands tightened into fists, and I suddenly felt a stab of fear, "… and Zoltar?"

"_What_?"

"Would you like to explain how you happen to be carrying Zoltar's child?"

The blood drained from my face, and my hands involuntarily moved to cover my stomach. Mark's face turned red with anger as he saw the gesture, and he rounded on me.

"What happened, Princess? Did you go to his bed because you wanted better treatment? Did he pay attention to you, send you gifts? Maybe he was just so handsome under that mask of his that you fell in love with him! Is that it?" My eyes widened with disbelief. To be hearing these things… and for _Mark_, of all people, to be saying them…

"I was right…" I hissed. "You don't know me at all, do you? And you know what's even worse? I guess I never knew you either, if this is the kind of man you've become."

Mark's eyes filled with doubt for a moment, but then hardened once more.

"Are you denying that you're pregnant?" he interrogated me.

"No."

"Are you denying that Zoltar fathered the child?"

"No."

"But you refuse to explain how this happened?"

"No." I wanted to spit in his surprised face. "I'll explain how it happened. You just never asked. You leapt to the worst possible assumption: an assumption that happens to be dead wrong."

"I didn't think I'd have to ask about something like this!" Mark burst out. "I believed in you! Trusted you! And then the Chief tells me what the medics discovered while you were being treated…" The pain in his voice made me instinctively want to reach out to him, but then he turned to me coldly, killing off any sympathy I had had.

"So tell me, Princess." he muttered through gritted teeth. "How did this happen?"

"I was raped." I snapped furiously. I was filled with anger: anger at Mark, that he thought so poorly of me, anger at Zoltar, that he had put me in this position in the first place. But most of all, I was angry with myself, that I hadn't seen this coming; that I had believed that Mark would somehow understand. Now I realized how futile that hope had been.

"Rape is outlawed by the Intergalactic Treaty signed by the Federation and the Spectran Empire last century." the Commander intoned, his voice taking on a lecture-like quality. "Treatment for prisoners of war…"

"You still don't get it, do you?" I interrupted harshly. "Zoltar doesn't _care_ about intergalactic treaties. And as far as he is concerned, I wasn't a prisoner of war. I was a _traitor_, a prisoner of state. In his mind, the conventions of the Intergalactic Treaty didn't even apply. Did you _actually_ think that I was just sitting around for all of those months, eating and sleeping?"

"I expected that Zoltar was treating you humanely, Princess," the Commander responded, "as the Treaty requires. According to the provisions of the fourth segment…"

"Take a good look at me and tell me if I was treated humanely." I said quietly. "Apparently I'm so emaciated that Tiny refused the Spaceburger I offered him." Belatedly I realized that I had just revealed that Tiny had been visiting with me, but Mark didn't seem to pay attention to this fact.

"Even so," he hedged, "'raped' is a harsh accusation. That can't be right."

"I was physically restrained, voiced my objections and forced against my will." I stated coldly. "The first time, Zoltar was so enraged by my lack of response that he beat me afterward, until I was nearly dead."

"The _first_ time?" the Commander drew back in disgust.

"As I said, I didn't have any choice in the matter. And as you know, Zoltar is very persistent. Once he had realized that he could get to me in this way…" I turned away, tears brimming in my eyes.

"But that wasn't the worst part." I whispered, almost to myself. "The worst part was knowing that I would have to tell _you_ what had happened. Of course, I never dreamed that you would think that I had _wanted_ Zoltar's assaults on my person… But even so, I understood that after this, we could never be together."

"Princess… I…"

"Don't deny it, Mark!" I lifted my eyes to his, my anger lashing out at him. "Even if you believed that I never wanted this… that I was forced into it… there's no chance for _us_ anymore. I _know_ you. There's no way you could ever touch me now; no way you could ever get past _this_." I stared him full in the face, forcing him to acknowledge my feelings.

"Do you think I would _ever_ have voluntarily have given up _us_, Mark?" I asked harshly. "You know what we shared… or what I _thought_ we shared. I _never_ gave up on us. The one who destroyed us was _you_, Mark. You, and Zoltar."

"Princess…"

There was something in his tone that spoke of remorse, and a part of me wanted to instantly forgive him. Yet something else in me held back, wanting him to be the first to forgive; the first to apologize.

Mark stared at me helplessly, searching for words, but finding nothing to say. After a long moment he turned away from me, confirming all of my worst fears.

"Just go, Commander." I told him. "I don't think there's anything more to say."

He nodded slowly, then rose to a stand, departing the room without giving me so much as a second glance.

Mark and I were over, before we had begun.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When Norei returned, she was in a foul mood. As neither of us felt like talking, it made for an angry, clouded atmosphere in our room. Still, at some level, it was good to have her there, to know that someone else was with me in this mess.

However this didn't last long. I had been picking disinterestedly at my cold Spaceburger for barely half an hour when yet another visitor appeared at my door. Chief Anderson entered and instantly I tensed, ready for trouble.

"Princess, I was hoping you would come speak with me in my office." he said politely, acting for all the world like a concerned superior. Yet the Chief was more than a 'superior' to me: he was my father. The reserved expression and cool distance in his gaze was something he usually reserved for foreign diplomats, political leaders, or unknown quantities.

It was not the loving countenance I was used to. I bowed my head, fully aware of the situation in which I found myself.

"Of course, Chief." I acquiesced, rising from my bed and reaching for my bathrobe. My father solicitously assisted me in putting it on, waited for me to step into a pair of slippers, then led me from the room, taking my arm. I wanted to believe that the gesture was one of affection, but thanks to Mark, I knew better. I steeled myself for the harsh interrogation to come.

It suddenly occurred to me that this was actually more of a trial than an interrogation. I was being tried before my superior and my peers. It was a trial, probably more so than the one I had had to endure on Spectra. I was fighting for my life: the life I had known as part of the G-Force Team. If things went against me, I might well find myself incarcerated again, this time, on Federation soil.

When we entered the Chief's office, I wasn't surprised to see that the rest of the G-Force Team was already there, dressed in full uniform. Mark, Keyop and Tiny sat on a sofa together, which Jason stood apart, leaning against the wall. I smiled at Keyop as I entered and he returned the gesture, unknowingly bolstering my spirits as I headed into the lion's den.

Chief Anderson led me to a chair in front of his desk, and I noticed that in doing so, he had placed me in the midst of my comrades. I gathered that if I were to give him any 'trouble', the Chief wanted to have the others surrounding me.

"I guess this is my debriefing." I observed, looking around the room. Keyop's face was by far the friendliest, followed by Tiny. Mark refused to look at me, while Jason maintained the cool detachment he usually did at such meetings. It was difficult for me to read what he was truly thinking.

"I thought it would be easier for you to only report your experiences once." Chief Anderson replied smoothly. "I'm sure your time on Spectra wasn't pleasant or easy."

"No." I agreed, readying myself. "It wasn't."

"Just start wherever you want to, Princess." Chief Anderson encouraged. And so, I did.

I related how I had woken up in a cell, surprised to be alive at all after my trial. I described the prison, the Enerwalls, the food, the other inmates. I told how I had met Norei and the other prisoners, how I had come to call them my friends, and how they had come to accept me, even knowing that I was a member of G-Force. Through all of it, everyone appeared calm, nodding and listening carefully, perhaps seeming somewhat less cold than they had appeared when I had first arrived.

"I… I'm not certain that Keyop should be present for this next part." I said hesitantly. I didn't want the boy who was potentially my only ally in the room to leave, yet it was more important to me that he not be frightened by what I was about to relate.

"Want to… stay!" Keyop declared, his eyes flashing at the others. "For Princess!"

I felt tears brimming at the corners of my eyes as I understood his meaning. Keyop was an intelligent boy, and receptive to the emotions of others. He had to have a grasp on the precariousness of my position.

"If Princess feels that it is better that you not be here, then it is best that you leave, Keyop." the Chief said firmly.

"But…" Keyop appeared distressed.

"It's okay, Keyop." I told him, holding out my arms. He came slowly to me, returning the hug I gave him.

"It's only for a little while." I reassured him. "But there are things I have to tell the Chief that are not for you to hear. I don't want you to be scared."

"Brave!" Keyop stood straight, throwing back his shoulders and thumping his chest.

"I know that you're brave, Keyop." I assured him. "But this is _different_." I guess he saw something in my eyes, because he nodded reluctantly, pulling back with a downcast expression.

"I'll stay with Keyop." Tiny offered, coming to a stand. "The Chief will let us know when we can come back, right?" Anderson nodded in confirmation as Tiny led Keyop from the room. Something in Tiny's manner suggested to me that he wasn't too eager to hear what I had to say either, and was seizing upon a ready excuse to depart.

Once Tiny and Keyop had departed, I sighed heavily, then resumed my story once more.

"The first night I was there, I was sent to be interrogated by Zoltar…" I began. I went on to relate my interactions with the Spectran Leader, describing how he had at first simply wanted me to say that I was being well-treated, to the point that he had me drugged to do so. I went on to tell of the increasing levels of restraint forced upon my person, as well as the times where Zoltar had attempted to beat me to obtain information, especially on the occasions when he was especially infuriated by his defeats at the hands of G-Force. I described the multiple instances when he had come close to killing me with his bare hands, and my isolation as I had recovered from my beatings.

After a short pause, I resumed my tale, speaking of my work in the manufacturing plant, arming missiles with raw trentorium. I explained how I had sabotaged each missile with which I had come into contact, in different ways. It was at this point that Chief Anderson halted my recitation.

"You're saying that you sabotaged each missile you 'armed', so that it wouldn't explode?" the Chief asked. Throughout my tale he had displayed expressions of concern and discomfort, yet now he appeared almost… excited.

"Yes." I confirmed.

"And how many women were working in the factory at one time?" he questioned.

"Approximately three dozen." I replied. "We rotated shifts, so that sometimes we were working in the kitchen or the laundry, but most of the time we were in the manufacturing facility." I stared curiously at the Chief. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. What was going on?

Chief Anderson turned to one of his computer panels, pulling up some data I was unable to see. His eyebrows rose, and he nodded in Jason's direction.

"Jason, do you recall your report of an increase in the dud frequency of Spectran missiles?" the Chief asked. "When did you first become aware of this phenomenon?"

"About a month after Princess was captured." Jason noted. "I noticed it because one of the missiles that hit the Phoenix didn't explode, and was later determined not to have had its detonator core connected to its power source. Later I asked GalSec Ground Forces about their experiences, and they reported discovering a number of unexploded missiles as well. It was the commonality of these two situations that led me to mention it to the Commander."

"According to the records we've been collecting since that time, a little more than two percent of Spectran missiles have turned out to be duds. This is up significantly since the time before Princess was captured, when reported Spectran missile duds were reported to be negligible."

"So… you're saying that the number of duds we've observed correlates with the amount of time Princess spent in that manufacturing plant?" Mark asked, his eyes wide.

"I simply didn't want to be assisting Spectra." I explained. "If they were going to get their kicks by forcing me to arm their missiles then I couldn't really stop them. But I certainly wasn't going to do anything to bring harm to the Federation."

"Princess…" Chief Anderson stared at me curiously, as if I were a puzzle to be solved. "Were these the only kinds of missile you armed? Ones intended to detonate?"

"No." I shook my head. "I was just getting to that. There was one other kind of missile…" I went on to describe the warheads that had been installed with a deadly virus, and the hellish working conditions the prisoners had endured in order to arm them, as well as the protocols that were followed when any woman had accidentally infected herself.

"I learned from Fanel, one of my fellow prisoners who escaped with me, what Spectra intended to do with these missiles and how effective the virus was purported to be. I knew I had to stop it."

"What did you do, Princess?" Mark asked, leaning forward intently, his hard, blue eyes boring into me like an icy drill. I turned away slightly, doing my best to ignore the pain his attitude was creating in my heart, instead focusing on my tale. I described my plan to send the antidote to the Federation in an unarmed missile, and how I had rigged it to send a 'G' signal in G-Force secret code.

"At the time, I didn't even know if it had worked," I explained, "but it was the most I could do."

"It worked all right." Jason snorted, as the Chief and the Commander turned to regard him with a mixture of anger and frustration. Jason smirked at the two men, not the least bit bothered by their attitude.

"Don't get so bent up about it." the berated them. "She already told us what she did. You know it's true. It fits."

"I already guessed that it had worked." I admitted quietly. "Jason only just confirmed what I had suspected." All three men stared at me in astonishment.

"How is that, Princess?" Chief Anderson asked, quickly composing his expression into an unreadable mask.

"Some days later, I was summoned again to be interrogated by Zoltar…" I told them how the Spectran Leader had been enraged by the unexpected failure of the virus, and how the supposed interrogation had degenerated into his first sexual assault on my person. I had to close my eyes as I recalled how Zoltar had forced himself into my mouth, and my hands gripped at the arms of my chair as I explained how I had defended myself against these unwanted advances.

"You _bit_ him." Jason's jaw dropped and the feather dart he had been chewing fell unnoticed to the floor. His face blanched and his fingers twitched at his hips, as if to unconsciously reassure himself that the corresponding part of his own male anatomy was still intact.

"Did you…?" Mark appeared to be stumbling for words. "Was there… permanent damage?" The Commander swallowed dryly.

"At the time, I didn't know." I replied woodenly, reliving the shock and horror I had felt after that particular incident. "I barely recall anything… but I made it back to my cell and Norei was there… she washed the blood from my face… so much blood… and then they sent her away…" I continued to tell them of my isolation punishment and how I had been without food for the following five days. How afterward I had learned that Zoltar had narrowly escaped permanent damage, thanks to an experimental Spectran regenerative treatment, but had been left with a burning need to prove himself.

"And then we get to the matter I discussed with the Commander this morning." I refused to look at Mark, but stared straight ahead, my eyes unfocused as I clinically described how Zoltar had forced his attentions upon my unwilling body, and how thanks to Norei I had discovered a way of fighting back, even when fully restrained. Yet it hadn't been enough. I was unable to keep tears from sliding down my cheeks as I reported that the Spectran Leader had successfully completed his assault on three separate occasions, including the first time when he had robbed me of my virginity and nearly beaten me to death afterward.

"This is highly irregular," the Chief noted quietly, "but your story is consistent with the data downloaded from your implant. It appears that Zoltar has violated the entirety of the terms set out by the Intergalactic Treaty."

"So what?" I asked bitterly. "Is he going to be tried and sentenced? By whom? We couldn't catch him before. What makes anyone think that we can do it now?"

"He'll pay, Princess." Jason muttered grimly, punching his fist into his palm.

"Consistent…" Mark cursed quietly, using language I had never before heard from the Commander. "Her injuries, her implant data, were consistent with rape?" Mark stood up, his eyes blazing, their cold blue replaced with a fiery anger as he leaned menacingly over Chief Anderson's desk.

"You _knew_ this?" Mark shouted, appalled by the Chief's expressionless face. "And yet, you never told me! Instead, you ordered me to ask Princess about…" He bent his head, unable to finish his statement.

"I had to hear it directly from her." Chief Anderson replied blandly. "Injuries alone are insufficient to determine the true nature of what occurred. Zark calculated that you would have the best chance of uncovering the truth, by speaking privately with Princess. As her Commander, it was your duty to interrogate her."

"But, I accused her…" Mark went pale, and he turned to me in an apologetic fashion. "I'm sorry Princess. I don't know what I can say. I unfairly demonized you…" He turned again to glare furiously at Chief Anderson.

"All I can say in my own defense is that I didn't have _all_ available information at hand." Mark said quietly, his voice flinty as he continued to glower at the Chief.

"Regardless, I expected you to think better of me." I replied coldly. "I thought you knew me, Commander. How could you have simply assumed that this was even remotely voluntary on my part? _You_ of all people, Mark…" My eyes filled with tears once more, and I brushed them away furiously with the back of my hand.

"You said _what_?" Jason gasped.

"I didn't know." Mark shook his head. "That's all I can say…"

"This is a matter for later discussion." Chief Anderson interrupted.

"You bet it is." Mark rounded on the Chief.

"That's enough, Commander!" Chief Anderson's eyes bored into Mark for a long moment. Eventually the Commander nodded curtly, appearing to concede, yet his demeanor made it clear that the issue was far from over.

"For now, we need to discuss the _results_ of this… unexpected interaction between Princess and Zoltar." the Chief said quietly.

"I'd rather just put it behind me, Chief." I told him. "I wouldn't even have talked about it just now, except that I knew I would have to make a report. But now that it's over…"

"I think you're forgetting something." Chief Anderson's eyes narrowed, and he rose slightly in his chair to stare me down. "Your condition."

"My condition?" Unconsciously I reached for my abdomen, my protective instincts surfacing in an instant. "I'm not going to…"

"Good." The Chief fell back into his chair, a relieved expression on his face, along with the first hint of a smile I had seen from him since my return. "I'll contact the Medical Center at Center Neptune. They can take care of everything tomorrow. It will be as if this never happened."

"What?" Now it was my turn to gape in shock. "You want me to… end this?" I looked down at my stomach, hidden behind my pajamas and bulky bathrobe. I couldn't let my child down. I was the only one fighting for it.

"I won't do that." I declared resolutely. "This child is _mine_ and no one else's."

"I see." Chief Anderson's face tightened into grim lines once more. "Princess, if you would only listen for a minute, you'd see…"

"I'll listen, but I'm not going to change my mind in this matter." I retorted stubbornly, unconsciously imitating Jason when he was backed into a corner. For a moment a brief smile flickered across Jason's face as he recognized the similarity, but then he grew serious once more.

"Think about this, Princess." Jason urged softly. "If you have this child, you won't be able to rejoin the G-Force Team." I blanched slightly, nodding. I hadn't thought that far ahead, yet it did not change my mind one iota.

"And Princess, what about Zoltar?" Mark asked.

"He doesn't know." I snapped. "And he won't. He has no business making any claims, considering the circumstances."

"He won't see it that way." the Chief disagreed. "From what you've told us, it's clear that he experiences a sort of mania at the very least, and is likely suffering from some degree of insanity. Zoltar is obsessed with G-Force. He will simply attempt to take or kill the child, without considering _your_ opinions in the matter."

"So I should kill my child before Zoltar can?" I snorted derisively. "I won't let that bastard near my baby. He'll never know."

"But what if Zoltar finds out?" Mark asked quietly. "I'll do my best to protect you, Princess, but the way his mind works…" The Commander bowed his head.

"I always did my best to protect you, but in the end, Zoltar captured you anyway." Mark muttered to himself.

"That was _my_ choice." I assured him. "I knew what I was doing. The entire time I was there, I had no regrets on that score, Mark. I was glad that _I_ was the one there, and not you. Besides, if you had been the one Zoltar had captured, you wouldn't have ever come back."

"What do you mean, Princess?" Chief Anderson asked, leaning forward in his chair.

"You all saw the trial, I presume?" I asked archly. "And I know Jason was there. Zoltar wanted to execute me. To be precise, Zoltar wanted to execute the Commander of G-Force. Since I was the one he had captured, he decided to apply his plans for Mark to me." Chief Anderson nodded gravely as I paused, waving his hand in a gesture that urged me to continue.

"Yet I was never executed." I reminded them of the obvious. "For a long time, I wasn't certain why that was. I thought that maybe Zoltar needed information from me. But later, speaking with the other prisoners, I realized that the primary reason Zoltar was keeping me alive _wasn't_ for information. It was because I was a female."

"That's an interesting observation, Princess." the Chief noted. "Why do you think this?"

"Apparently women on Spectra are somewhat sheltered." I explained. "They are viewed as 'gentle' creatures. Men are often executed for committing serious crimes, but women… The Spectran people hold a very dim view of executing women. Women aren't supposed to be given such harsh punishment. It's my understanding that the prisons only hold women for this very reason; all men are executed, while women are not."

"Why do you think this matters so much?" Mark asked. "Why would Zoltar care what the Spectran people think? Why wouldn't he simply execute you because you are a member of G-Force?" There was something in the Commander's voice that was off, and I sensed that I was being tested, somehow. I thought of the way the Commander had accused me of being 'compromised' only a short time ago, and my anger flared. Yet I did my best to rein in my emotions. If I was still suspected of being a defector, I needed to stick to the truth and stay calm.

"Zoltar is extremely concerned about how he is perceived by the Spectran people." I replied slowly. "I'm sure you saw that, at my trial. I was told that the reason for this is because there are many Spectrans who are unhappy with the current government, and wish to change things. Some of these people simply demonstrate, while others attempt to isolate themselves from Spectran society. Others have formed rebel groups, where they actively attempt to thwart or undermine Zoltar's administration."

"How do you know this, Princess?" Jason asked intently.

"I met women who had done all of these things." I replied simply. "They were all inmates of the prison; they had been declared 'traitors' or 'enemies of the state'."

"Tell me more of these rebel groups." Chief Anderson was clearly interested in this matter.

"I don't know how many of them there are, but I do know that the largest, most effective and most well-known group is called the Yellow Flag." I obliged. "Some of its high-ranking members, including the former leader of the organization, are among the women rescued with me."

"You mean, they're _here_?" the Chief was astounded to hear this news.

"Yes." I nodded. "Actually, before we escaped, I was approached… it is my understanding that the rebels want to seek assistance from the Federation. They wish to change the government on Spectra, and then run the planet autonomously. They do not want to continue the war, but would like to sue for peace. They asked me if I would speak for them; make sure that the right people heard their words." Mark, Jason and the Chief all stared at me in astonishment.

"Rebels looking to overthrow Zoltar want to ally with the Federation." Chief Anderson summarized my speech. "And they're here…"

"I know Fanel, Norei and Dimal would be very interested in discussing this matter with you, Chief." I added.

"I'll make certain that they receive an opportunity to do so." Chief Anderson promised.

Everyone stared at each other in stunned disbelief. I got the impression that while some of the information I had shared had been expected, some had not. Yet the mood in the room had suddenly lifted, and I no longer had the sense that judgment was being reserved on me. It was like taking a deep breath after having held in air for hours. I was no longer drowning, and for the first time in eight months I could breathe freely again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

We took a dinner break, rejoining with Keyop and Tiny, who had returned to civilian clothing. Before I knew it, Mark and Jason had done the same, which told me louder than words that the judgment at my trial had been favorable.

As we ate, everyone critically eyed the food on my plate, carefully observing me as every bite went into my mouth. I had to laugh aloud at their overly solicitous conduct.

"You're all making me nervous; I'm not sure I can eat!" I joked, giggling as I watched them scramble to direct their attention elsewhere. Yet I understood the reason for their concern. A large glass wall reflected our images back to us. Among my friends, my family, my Team, I was the odd one out. Even in a bulky bathrobe, I was overly thin. My arms and legs seemed the most fragile. I was reminded of historical broadcast footage I had seen of war prisoners who had been slowly starving to death: the kind of images that had brought about the Intergalactic Convention in the first place. At the time I had seen the recording, I had smugly thought to myself that such things were horrors of the past; that now we knew better. Yet I had come through that nightmare myself, and now understood that 'civilized behavior' was more ingrained in some people than in others.

Despite their excessive interest in my diet, for the most part everyone treated me as they always had. We were laughing and joking, discussing the latest events. I learned that the entire G-Force Team was now living full time at Camp Parker and Center Neptune, with only brief excursions to the mainland. Ever since my identity had been revealed on live interplanetary broadcast, they had been afraid that their known association with me, particularly at Jill's, would cast suspicion upon them, placing them in danger. This was especially true for Keyop, who had lived with me. I felt terrible, and attempted to apologize for being the cause of their forced 'retreat' from the outside world.

"It's not your fault, Princess." Jason assured me.

"Zoltar's fault!" Keyop added.

"It could have been any one of us." Tiny pointed out. "Zoltar was targeting your communicator. If I had been in that situation, I would have been exposed too."

"If I had been the one captured, it wouldn't have been any different." Mark observed. "In a way, the fault lies with all of us. _We_ are the ones who chose to hang out with you at Jill's. _We_ are the ones who all wanted to stay as a group, even when we were off duty. We knew there was a risk, and yet we all took it. We're in this together." He placed his hand warmly over mine on the table, in a gesture that only that morning would have set my nerves tingling with pleasure. Yet now, I had mixed emotions. Was this for 'show', to reassure the others that everything was 'back to normal', or was this Mark's way of asking for forgiveness for his earlier accusations? If it was the latter, was I even ready to forgive him? Always before, Mark had been unable to do wrong in my eyes. There had never been any question as to whether or not his transgressions would be forgiven.

Of course, I had never been so angry with Mark before. I had never felt so wronged before. My heart was finding it difficult to accept that Mark could have done what he had; even more that he could have _thought_ such things about me.

For the moment, I let his hand rest on mine, but as soon as everyone had looked away, I pulled my fingers out from under his, placing them on my lap. Mark attempted to catch my eye, but I purposely looked in another direction, feigning interest in a conversation between Jason and Tiny. Yet I felt Mark's gaze burning into the back of my head during the remainder of the meal.

After dinner all six of us returned to Chief Anderson's office, where I related the details of the mass inmate escape from the Spectran Traitor's Prison.

"Why did you choose _that moment_ to escape?" Chief Anderson asked curiously. "Had that particular date been your goal for some time?"

"Not exactly." I admitted, flushing slightly at having temporarily forgotten the reason for our urgent departure in the midst of the uproar my return had caused. "We had been planning on waiting a short while longer, perhaps as much as a tennight, but after learning some new information, I needed to be able to contact you as quickly as possible. The conditions were as good as they were going to get, so we simply seized the moment."

"What new information?" the Commander took hold of the important point, as always.

"It's Urgos." I revealed. "I saw Captain Doom. Zoltar was showing me off to him like a hunting trophy, or a pet. It seems that Urgos is going to ally with Spectra in the war. Apparently seeing me, a G-Force member, as a prisoner of Zoltar was enough to convince Doom that he was joining the winning side."

I looked around nervously, to see how everyone was taking this. Jason appeared mildly uncomfortable, but the others were… smiling?

"Princess, I greatly appreciate you telling us of this development." the Chief said in a kindly manner. "This puts to rest any lingering doubts I might have had as to your loyalties. However, there is no need for concern in this matter."

"Why not?" I asked, surprised.

"Urgos is allying with the Federation." Mark answered my question. "Captain Doom offered to act as a go-between, to learn the location on Spectra where you were being held. That's why we took so long to rescue you; we had no idea where you were, and we weren't exactly able to search planet Spectra to determine your whereabouts."

"But how do you know you can trust Captain Doom?" I was skeptical. "Could he be acting as a double agent for Zoltar?"

"It's entirely possible, yes." Chief Anderson agreed. "But there's little he is obtaining out of this arrangement, other than an alliance with the Federation. He has stated, and rightly so, that if Spectra wins this war, whether they are allied with Urgos or not, they will seek to conquer that planet and add it to their empire. However President Kane has signed an agreement with Doom, agreeing to leave Urgos alone to pursue its own interests, so long as they do not infringe upon the rights of Federation planets."

"Princess, when did you see Captain Doom on Spectra?" Mark asked.

"Two days before we began our escape attempt." I replied.

"That sounds about right." Jason's mouth twisted distastefully. "Seems like Old Leatherface actually came through for us."

"We weren't entirely sure that Doom had told us your actual location." Tiny explained, taking pity on me as I looked about in confusion. "But based on what you just said, it seems that he really did contact us right away, once he knew where you were."

"You mean… I owe my rescue to Captain Doom?" I was astonished.

"Unreal, isn't it?" Jason rolled his eyes.

88888

We spent the rest of the evening finishing the debriefing, as I related the remaining important details of my time of imprisonment on Spectra. I spoke further about my fellow prisoners, giving everyone some background on these Spectran women. The Chief was especially interested in Fanel and Dimal and the Operations of the Yellow Flag. Jason nearly spat out the feather dart he was chewing when I revealed that Norei was a former Galaxy Girl. In the end, Chief Anderson resolved to meet with these three women in the morning, presuming they were still willing to negotiate with the Federation, and there was no reason to think that this wasn't the case.

By the time I returned to my room, it was the early hours of the morning, yet I discovered that Norei was still awake. She had been waiting for me, apparently somewhat uncertain as to my treatment, given what she had overheard during my conversation with Mark that morning. I assured her that those suspicions had been abandoned, and we spent some time speaking of the hard words I had exchanged with my Commander that morning, as well as of what Norei had learned of the other women when she had visited with them that afternoon. Dawn was streaking the sky before we fell silent and slowly drifted off to sleep.

The day had been eventful, yet there were still many unresolved issues, not the least of which was the child inside of me. I knew that I would not let any harm come to this baby, and yet I also knew that its very existence only created a myriad of problems for me, for the G-Force Team, and for the Federation.

My incarceration had not been for nothing. Perhaps some good would come out of it yet.

88888

The following morning, dressed in proper clothes for the first time in the better part of a year, I accompanied Norei, Fanel and Dimal to Chief Anderson's office, where I sat in on discussions relating to potential Federation support of the Spectran 'rebels'. The Chief, as expected, was cautious in his responses, but promised to present the case of the Yellow Flag to President Kane.

After some time I began to tire, no doubt in part due to my lack of sleep the previous night. Besides the lack of sleep, I had noticed exhaustion taking me over more frequently of late. Now that I was being properly fed, I knew that this lethargy wasn't due to lack of food, but was likely related to my pregnancy. With this in mind, I excused myself from the proceedings, which by now were going along just fine without my intervention. I made my way back to my room to rest.

I had been dozing lightly for perhaps three quarters of an hour before I heard an unexpected knock on my door. Groggily I pulled myself together, expecting to see one of my teammates, such as Keyop or Tiny.

Instead, I found myself face to face with someone I had never expected.

"Tavis!" I exclaimed in surprise. "You're safe! What are you doing here?"

"I guess they haven't had a chance to tell you yet." Tavis Demandro smiled wryly. "There's so much in the way of news floating around here. I've been living here at Camp Parker for eight months."

"Eight months… since my trial?"

"Yes." Tavis nodded. "Your friend, Jason… he took me to the Phoenix after the trial. I officially requested asylum, given that it was pretty clear that I would be executed if I returned to Spectra. President Kane granted my request, and I have been providing information to Chief Anderson ever since regarding Spectran society and culture. Unfortunately, I do not have much knowledge of the military, and as such was unable to be of much assistance in locating you."

"I'm so glad you're here." I replied, immensely relieved. "When I last saw you, you were rolling around on the floor of the Hall of Light in a brawl with Zoltar. I didn't think you would have survived attacking him in such a manner… especially on a live broadcast!"

"I suspect I wouldn't have, had Jason not been so kind as to assist in my escape." Tavis agreed. "But clearly my efforts were worthwhile. You gained the sympathy of the Spectran people, and exposed Lord Zoltar's scheme for what it was: an attempt to push through a verdict for which he had no justifiable basis. No one truly believes that the people of the Federation are Spectran."

"I suspect Zoltar doesn't believe it either." I concurred. "He may believe that story about the Spectran people 'leaving DNA' on various planets, but that does not make any of us 'Spectran'. Knowing what I do now about Spectran culture, I suspect he was using this argument to support the penalty of execution for my 'crimes'."

"It was especially important because you are female." Tavis added. "The Commander of G-Force would have been seen as an enemy, no matter how he behaved in court. But the Spectran people have a soft spot for females. That is why I have used so many of them in my broadcasts, to sway the opinions of the populace, to demand justice."

"Those women are very grateful to you." I told him. "While I was incarcerated, I heard many stories of how you had assisted others."

"I… I didn't realize they spoke of me." Tavis appeared both humbled and flattered. "Thank you for telling me this."

"Did you know that many of these women are here?" I asked him. "When the Phoenix came to rescue me, we were in the middle of our own escape attempt. Everyone was taken away from that horrible place." 

"I had heard rumors of such, but hadn't realized that they were true." Tavis admitted. "How many women were rescued with you?"

"Thirty-six." I replied. "Would you like to meet with them? I am sure they would be delighted to see you."

"Of course!" Tavis beamed.

"Then I shall escort you!" I declared grandly, getting up from the bed. Suddenly, I wasn't tired in the least. Tavis offered me his arm, and we walked from the room, moving out into the corridor. We proceeded slowly, as I was still a little achy from my injuries, and tended to suffer cramps if I moved too fast.

"I gather you've seen that Commander of yours?" Tavis asked with a smug air.

"Yes." I answered shortly. I didn't really want to talk about Mark at that moment.

"I'm sure it was wonderful for you to see him again." Tavis added. "I could just tell…"

"Tell?" I was curious, despite myself. "What could you tell?"

"Princess, don't you know that he was frantic the entire time you were gone?" Tavis chided gently. "I'm told he is normally a calm and collected man, but I've rarely seen it. He's been restless, ill-tempered and clearly lacking in sleep. All he wanted to talk about was _you_… and the plans to rescue you. I can't tell you how much he was frustrated by the lack of information regarding your location. I could see it in his eyes when he questioned me about it. His concern for you was far more than that of a Commander for his subordinate."

"I… I didn't realize." I said quietly, as I came to grips with what Tavis was telling me. Mark had been wrong to accuse me of voluntarily submitting myself to Zoltar, but it did seem that he truly cared… or at least, that he had.

"I suspect he's quite taken with you." Tavis confided conspiratorially. "I wouldn't be surprised if he declares himself soon… if he hasn't already."

"You wouldn't?" I gulped nervously.

"But you didn't hear it from me." he grinned briefly, then stared at me curiously.

"You really didn't know?" he sounded surprised. "That man would jump in front of a bullet for you, Princess."

"I…" I blinked rapidly, processing what Tavis had just told me. "I guess I did know that."

"No less than what you did for him, taking his place in Zoltar's trap." Tavis went on. "I heard all about it. The Commander obsessed over it. He thinks it's his fault that you were captured."

"No, that's not right." I shook my head. "I pushed him out of the way. I knew what I was doing."

"It doesn't matter what _you_ think, Princess." Tavis reminded me. "It matters what _he_ thinks."

I nodded in silent agreement, pondering what Tavis had said. The question was, what did I think of Mark now, and what did he think of me?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Spectran women were thrilled to see Tavis, swarming around him, offering their gratitude and support. I was also welcomed warmly, and everyone wanted to know how I was doing. I knew they were asking after my physical condition, but it was my emotional state that was more in question. Thoughts of Mark tried to force their way into my mind, but I pushed them back. I spent the rest of the day focusing instead on the friends I had made while incarcerated on Spectra.

Yet later that day, when I was on my own again, things changed.

The early evening air was still warm, and I decided to take my dinner plate out to the patio to eat. While I had enjoyed dining with the others the previous night, I found now that I had too much on my mind to engage in conversation. I wanted to be alone, so I could think. Besides that, I was still moving slowly and suffering occasional cramps, and I didn't want to have to hide my weakness from the others. It would simply be more effort than I wanted to expend at that moment.

I sat down at an outdoor table overlooking the pool, not bothering to turn on the lights. The deepening twilight was beautiful, and I could see well enough to enjoy my dinner. Many of the cooks at Camp Parker had been there since I was a child, and they were glad to see me back. Even thought it wasn't 'public' knowledge that I was the G-Force Swan, the Camp Parker staff seemed to understand that wherever I had been, it had not been a pleasant time.

And so it was that I had been presented with a dinner of my favorite comfort foods: bacon-wrapped filet mignon with sautéed mushrooms, homemade macaroni and cheese, honey-glazed carrots. I even had a small plate of 'fresh from the oven' chocolate chip cookies. I sighed in contentment, enjoying these almost-forgotten tastes as I watched the sun finish setting. The pool lights came on, but I remained somewhat in the shadows. It was almost unreal, being here, seeing this beautiful and familiar place, after everything I had experienced.

Eventually of course, my thoughts turned to the one person who had been on my mind all day: Mark. A flood of conflicting emotions filled my head, and what Tavis had told me that morning filtered through the entire mess.

It had been thoughts of Mark that had gotten me through the worst days I had experienced on Spectra. Knowing that he was safe, and that by taking his place I had saved his life, had been enough to keep me going. It had been like a dream to see him again on the Phoenix, after I had been rescued.

But then, he had accused me of the worst kind of betrayal. I had been angry and heartbroken… a part of me still felt that way.

And yet, to Mark's credit, once he had realized his error, he had tried to make up for it, in his own way. Certainly he had made a mistake, and it was a big one, yet it was only _one_ mistake. I definitely wasn't perfect; would I expect Mark to forgive me if I made a mistake? Even a big one?

Tavis had said that Mark had been frantic with worry about me while I had been gone. Mark and I had never officially acknowledged our feelings for each other, yet in this matter actions spoke louder than words. Just as I had been thinking about him, every day that I had been on Spectra, so he had been thinking about me.

"Princess?"

I looked up to see the subject of my thoughts standing next to me. Mark smiled intuitively, holding out a small plate.

"I brought you some chocolate chip cookies." he said. "I missed you at dinner and I thought you might not have…" His voice drifted off as he saw the empty plate in front of me.

"I guess you already had some." he noted sheepishly.

"I could always have a few more." I replied slowly. "There are enough there to share." He nodded gravely, understanding that this was about more than just dessert. He sat down in the chair next to me, setting the plate on the table between us.

"I guess you didn't have many treats when you were on Spectra." he observed, his eyes taking in my gaunt form, clearly visible underneath the t-shirt and jeans I wore.

"No." I agreed. "I ate the same thing every day, with no variation." Briefly, I described the breakfast mush and pureed dinner starch we had been served at the Traitor's Prison. "The portions were pretty small, and I was usually hungry."

"I can see that." he said, his eyes sweeping over my body once again. Even a few days of proper food hadn't done much to eliminate my emaciated appearance. Just that morning I had still had the face of a stranger when I had looked in the mirror: gaunt cheeks, paper-thin skin, sharp cheekbones protruding beneath my eyes.

"I… I worry about you, Princess." Mark said quietly.

"I'm home now." I replied evenly. "Safe and sound."

"But you still look like you're starving." Mark blurted out, before his face softened sheepishly. "I mean… you look like you could use a few more cookies." He nudged the plate in my direction.

"Well I guess I won't turn that down." I smiled hesitantly, picking up a cookie and quickly taking a bite.

"You look beautiful when you smile." Mark observed. "I wish… I wish I hadn't been the one to take your smile away." He paused, but I wasn't sure how to respond. I used the excuse of chewing on the cookie as my reason for not speaking.

"I wanted to officially apologize, Princess." he hung his head. "What I said… what I accused you of… you're right, I should have known better." I stared at him, my half-eaten cookie falling back onto the plate.

"All I can say in my defense is that I felt betrayed." Mark attempted to explain. "I was very hurt by the thought that you could have done such a thing. I was focusing on my own feelings, rather than yours."

"I guess I'm guilty of that too." I admitted slowly. "I was furious with you, but now that I've had time to think about it, I think I understand a bit where you were coming from. I've felt that way before myself, and without any 'encouragement' from the Chief."

"You have?" Mark appeared surprised.

"Amanda Greg."

"Oh." His eyes clouded for a moment as he thought about the beautiful young girl who had developed an enormous crush on him after being personally rescued from Spectran kidnappers by the Commander of G-Force.

"I know nothing happened between you… _now_. But at the time, I wasn't sure. And I felt… betrayed." I was treading on dangerous ground here. Mark's expressions of hurt and betrayal were vague, yet I was being more specific. But I had to know… after what Tavis had told me, I needed to understand _exactly_ how Mark felt about me, after everything that had happened. Maybe then I could sort out how I felt about _him_.

"I can see how you could have felt the same way, after learning about what Zoltar did to me."

"I still feel angry," Mark admitted, "but not with you. I understand now that you didn't have a choice. That Zoltar acted with complete disregard for basic decency, not to mention the treaties by which he should be bound."

"You're angry?"

"I want to rip his head off with my bare hands." Mark growled in a very uncharacteristic manner, his fists clenching so tightly that his knuckles whitened. He flushed suddenly, looking away as he recomposed himself.

"You can't do that," I said quietly, "because I'm going to do it first."

"I…" Mark stared at me openmouthed, taking in the seriousness of my expression. "I guess I could live with that." His face took on the 'Commander's resolve' with which I was so familiar.

"We'll make sure you get that chance." he declared.

"As long as he gets a fair trial first." I smirked.

"Hey, if Zoltar can ignore the treaties, so can we." Mark joked.

"No, we can't." I reminded him. "At least, you can't. I know you, Mark. You're honorable to the core."

"I guess you've got me." he shrugged, lifting his hands helplessly. "But it's not easy when the honorable thing to do is not what you _want_ to do."

"Mark, I can't imagine that you've ever wanted to be dishonorable!"

"Captain Morlak."

"Oh…." Briefly, I recalled the Spectran Captain who had held me captive for three days after I had fallen victim to a vicious alien flower.

"I wanted to gut him right there with my boomerang." Mark recalled, his face hardening into grim lines. "But I didn't. I acted honorably, as I was supposed to, allowing him to depart with his men. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do." He let out a long, explosive breath.

"I'm not sure I could do it again, if we ran into Zoltar."

"I'll be there, Mark. I'll help you."

"Help me?" Mark laughed harshly. "It's because of _you_ Princess! I feel this way whenever the Spectrans hurt _you_! And what Zoltar has done… it's unforgiveable."

"Mark…" I reached out to him, but he didn't seem to see me.

"Back when the G-Force Team was first activated, back when I was promoted to the rank of Commander, I promised myself that I would protect you, no matter what. I knew that I'd never be able to live with myself if you got hurt because of me…" His eyes took on a faraway expression and I was mesmerized, despite myself.

"The first time I failed you, I thought I was condemning you by my own actions, burning you alive. I wanted to kill myself, to join you… but I was denied that release, when Jason took the matter out of my hands. I couldn't handle it. I gave up command of G-Force… up until I got your message in G-Force Secret Code, and I realized that you were alive. Yet even after all of that, I still let Morlak live." His lips twisted in self-loathing: an expression I associated more with Jason than with my Commander. I was unable to speak, transfixed by this glimpse into Mark's psyche, into a part of him I had never even known existed.

"Then I selfishly kept you with me, when it was clear that Center Neptune was doomed. We nearly died there, yet still, I was unable to tell you how I felt; to give you even that small comfort in the end…" His eyes were bright, and his voice choked as he continued. "But this time… The past eight months have been the worst hell I could ever have imagined: knowing that you were alive, but not knowing where… and I had no idea of what you were _really_ living through. And then I found out, and I accused you of…"

He turned away from me then, as if he couldn't bear to face me.

"I've failed you in every possible way, Princess." Mark intoned sadly. "I've managed to mess up everything… and for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"You haven't messed up _everything_." I whispered, placing my hand gently on his arm. Mark looked up at me, his eyes locking with mine, staring deep into the heart of me, as if he could see my very soul. I supposed it was only fair, seeing as he had just bared his to me. For a moment I was unable to breathe, so amazed was I by the depth of our connection.

_Why had I never sensed this before?_ I had always known that there was _something_ between us, but this… this was beyond whatever I could have imagined.

In that instant, everything between us was wiped clean. I saw the depths of his pain and it fully matched mine, measure for measure. There was nothing to be achieved by holding on to anger, and everything to gain if we moved on.

"Mark, I don't blame you for _any_ of those past things." I told him. "If anything, I am equally responsibly for those events. In each case, I _chose_ to be where I was. Those situations were not of your own making. The only thing I blame you for is thinking that I would _ever_ turn my back on you. But I understand _why_ you felt that way, and I forgive you, Mark."

"You did the same thing, you know." Mark said quietly. "You assumed that once I knew what Zoltar had done to you, that I would turn away. But that's not true, Princess. You should know better than that. It wasn't your choice, and so it makes absolutely no difference in how I feel about you." My mouth fell open in astonishment. Was he actually saying…?

"For three years now, I've pushed aside my feelings for you, Princess." Mark revealed, closing his eyes as if the memory pained him. "I wanted to wait until the war was over, until I was no longer your Commander, until my duty didn't stand between us."

"Mark, I understand your duty, better than you know." I replied, holding one of his hands in both of my own. "I would never get in the way of your duty. I take second place; I've always known that."

"But that's just the thing, Princess." Mark opened his eyes again, staring at the silvery moon before resting his gaze upon me once more. "You _don't_ take second place. You're the most important thing to me. Duty be damned; it means _nothing_ without _you_! That's what I've learned over the past eight months. Being the Commander of G-Force means the world to me… but without you there at my side, it's empty; it's nothing."

"Mark, I don't know what to say…"

"I know what to say. It's all I've been thinking about the entire time you were on Spectra. I swore to myself that if you returned, if I ever had the chance, I'd tell you how I feel. No more wasted time, no more half-truths or veiled allusions. I love you, Princess."

"Mark…" I breathed, my heart stopping mid-beat as my stunned mind raced to collect my scattered thoughts. His eyes held me in their powerful grip, propelling me toward the words I had never been able to utter. Always, I had been terrified of rejection, never truly knowing how Mark would respond. Yet now there were no doubts. He had laid everything on the line for me. I could do no less.

"I love you, Mark. I can't even remember a time when I didn't love you…"

And suddenly I was in his arms, swept up in an embrace so full and so vast that it felt as if I could stay there forever, I clung to his arms, overwhelmed by the duality of emotion I sensed in him. He was strong, a rock upon whom I could depend, and yet he was trembling, overcome by his own vulnerabilities and the incredible connection between us.

"I haven't ruined everything!" he gasped, his face buried in my hair, as if he could barely believe what was happening.

"I thought that was my line." I replied, pulling back a little so that he could look me in the eye. I began to smile as I took in the astonished expression on his face. I giggled, and soon we were both laughing away our tensions, reveling in the closeness we had always sought, and never realized that we already shared.

"You're beautiful when you smile." Mark whispered, before his mouth descended upon mine. He kissed me with a tenderness I never expected, yet one I welcomed after the harsh treatment I had endured on Spectra. I responded in kind, my actions soft and tentative, uncertain as to how far I could proceed before reliving those horrible experiences with Zoltar.

Yet those experiences were pushed aside as I was overcome by the love and gentleness Mark offered. These two men could not have been further apart, and at that moment I was only joyful that I was with the one person who truly mattered.

One kiss became more kisses, some short, some long, all sweet and fulfilling, satisfying needs that had long remained unanswered. One embrace blended into the next until we were left gasping for air, my head on Mark's chest, his arms clasped tightly around me.

"Commander."

"Chief."

I opened my eyes to see Chief Anderson standing a few meters away from us. By the embarrassed expression on the Chief's face, it was clear that he had been present for some time, awaiting an opportune moment to interrupt our 'conversation'. I flushed as I realized that my foster father had witnessed our intimate embrace, but Mark stiffened, holding me even more tightly against his chest.

"Commander, I need to speak with you, regarding those matters we discussed earlier." Chief Anderson conspicuously avoided looking directly at me.

"It can wait, Chief." Mark's voice was strange, almost as if he was challenging the Chief in some way. I easily sensed the tension between them, yet I didn't entirely understand its source.

"No, it can't." Chief Anderson snapped. He flushed slightly upon realizing his impatience.

"If you insist. I'll be there shortly."

I could tell that Chief Anderson didn't like Mark's answer, but for whatever reason he didn't want to force the issue right then. What was going on between them? Had there been similar tensions present while I had been gone?

Before I could ask what was going on, the Chief had turned away, moving back into the main villa. Mark's fingers tickled underneath my chin until I looked up at him, his eyes wide with worry, a fierce protectiveness creeping into the furrows between them.

"It's all right, Princess." he said, but I got the feeling that he was trying to reassure himself more than he was me.

"Mark, what's wrong?" I asked, ignoring his hollow words. "Is there a problem with the Chief? Did you and he have an argument? Is it about me?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about." Mark said, yet it was clear that there was something he was keeping from me.

"What aren't you telling me, Mark?" I asked, pulling away slightly.

"Security matters." Mark replied, but he refused to look me in the eye. After a long moment he sighed, his gaze meeting mine once more.

"I'll work it out; I promise you." he insisted, this time with a fierce determination in his voice. Something inside of me still wanted to question him further, but he kissed me again, sweeping away all of my concerns with his embrace.

Kissing Mark, it was easy to forget.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It was late by the time I returned to my room that night, yet Norei was still awake, waiting for me. Almost immediately we began trading information about the day, gossiping back and forth as if we were still confined in a cell together on Spectra. She told me about the progress that had been made with Chief Anderson. During the afternoon, Fanel had been able to speak with President Kane via communications monitor, and apparently the exchange had gone well… at least, as well as could be expected. The President was going to give all of the rescued Spectran prisoners special status as 'political refugees'. It was a start… and a good one.

I told her about meeting Tavis, and Norei was as pleased as I had been to discover that he was alive and well. I described our visit to see the others, but I hesitated briefly when it came to what had happened after dinner… and sure enough, Norei picked up on this instantly.

"You are blushing." she noted sagely. "You met with your Commander." Her words were not phrased as a question.

"Yes." I admitted. "We were able to talk things out. He was very sorry for thinking poorly of me, and I forgave him. It seems I was wrong as well."

"Oh?" Norei raised an eyebrow.

"Mark… he wants to be with me." I revealed. "Even though he knows what Zoltar… has done."

"Of course he does." Norei didn't sound surprised at all. "He didn't strike me as one to pay attention to such trivial matters. As long as he is satisfied that there was no betrayal involved on your part, it should be irrelevant."

"That's what he said." I admitted.

"But you were worried."

"I… I didn't know." I had to look away. "I don't exactly have a lot of experience in these matters."

"But you are gaining more experience." Norei smirked knowingly.

"I… let's just leave it there!" I cried, but I could feel my cheeks flaming.

"It is all right, Princess." Norei replied calmly. "I do not have much experience in these matters either. In fact, I am somewhat unused to being around so many men." I stared at her in surprise as she twisted her lips uncomfortably.

"So many…?"

"How do you stand it?" she asked. "Wherever I go, there is a man. It is like women are not supposed to be on their own. It is only here, in this room, that I have any… privacy."

"Which men make you nervous?" I asked.

"All of them." Norei shivered. "I don't entirely trust them. I know you have faith in your teammates, but to me…"

"I grew up among these people." I reminded her. "They are my family."

"But they're _males_."

I had to laugh out loud at the disgust in her voice.

"What's wrong with males?" I asked.

"They're loud, they're messy, they're boorish." Norei sniffed. "And they think they own the universe. They think they're better than we are."

"I'll agree, some men are like that." I nodded. "But not all of them."

"Not your Commander, of course." Norei rolled her eyes, and I laughed again.

"Oh no, of course not." I teased her, and she smiled.

"Now I understand what you meant, when you said that you had never had a female friend." Norei concluded. "This is a very different environment from what I knew on Spectra."

"Is it such a bad thing, males and females living in the same dwelling, working together, being friends?"

"Only if you can trust them."

"In that respect, men are like women." I replied calmly. "They have to earn your trust, through their actions, their behavior, and their loyalty."

"Based on this statement, it would seem that this Commander of yours betrayed your trust."

"He… there were extenuating circumstances." I replied, somewhat unconfidently. When Mark had held me in his arms, I had desperately wanted to believe him. But now, away from the heady influence of his kisses… did I still trust him?

I did. Definitely.

Probably.

88888

I was feeling much better the following morning, both physically and emotionally. My body was still somewhat frail, but I knew it wouldn't improve entirely on its own, cerebonics or no. Dutifully, I went to the villa's gym, working out in a cautious fashion. I was pleased to see that much of my old strength remained, as did my hard-won agility and flexibility. What I lacked was endurance, and I tired easily. I tried hard not to push myself too far, conscious of the tiny life inside of me.

I was surprised that no one joined me during my workout. While Keyop and Tiny generally avoided extra routines whenever possible, usually at least Mark and Jason trained in the mornings, to keep themselves in top shape. Yet I was completely alone for the entire time I was there. Perhaps the others were backing off, to give me some privacy?

After a cooldown I showered and changed, before emerging back into the corridor. Yet rather than returning to my room, I decided to go by the lounge.

The lounge was a large room that Mark, Jason, Tiny, Keyop and I had used as a sort of 'playroom' when we were kids. As we had gotten older and had spent more time at Center Neptune, the lounge had fallen into disuse, although the Ready Room in our underwater base had been created based on the lounge's facilities. As a family, we had always needed a place to simply 'hang out' and relax.

As I approached the door, I realized that it was ajar, likely indicating that someone was inside. I moved forward, intending to step into the room, but instead found myself frozen in place as ominous words drifted out into the corridor.

"When are you going to tell her, Mark?"

"I can't, Jason." Mark sighed unhappily. "After what I said last night, how can I tell Princess that the Chief has forbidden anything between us?" My heart stopped for a moment, squeezing the air out of my chest. I clutched at the doorframe for support as my knees buckled.

"But from what you said, it sounds like he caught you red-handed last night." Jason replied, his smirk evident in his tone. "He didn't change his mind after…?"

"No." Mark interrupted. "It doesn't matter. I already told the Chief that he couldn't make any 'rules' about this: that Princess was more important, and that if he pushed me on it, I'd quit the Team."

"Wow…" Jason whistled, long and low. "So finally, after all of these years, you're actually doing right by Princess. But why is the Chief all uptight about it? After the way you were moping and raging about here for the past eight months, you'd think he would have seen this coming."

"He did." Mark admitted. "I think he'd be okay with it too, except he's still not one hundred percent convinced that Princess is… with us."

"What? After everything she's been through? Everything she's told us?"

"I agree, Jason. I'm still furious that he led me to believe that Princess had defected, just to convince me to question her about it. But he's only doing his job. He's the Chief of Galaxy Security! It's his duty to be suspicious."

"You'd think he'd trust in the judgment of the G-Force Commander a little more."

"He does. He would, but… I think what's holding him back is the baby."

"That's not Princess' fault, Mark. You heard her!"

"I know. Believe me, I know. But she wants to keep it, and that gives the Chief doubts. It would be easier all around if she would just agree to… well, she doesn't want to give it up, and I'm certainly not going to force her to do so. It's her choice, and hers alone."

"You've got that right. You can't make her… well, you just can't."

"Jason, what's wrong?"

I knew I should reveal myself, but I found that I was unable to do so. My mind whirled with the knowledge that my own foster father still didn't entirely trust me, that Mark thought it would be easier if I got rid of my child…

"You… you know I'm half Spectran."

"Yes, of course. Your mother was one of the earlier ambassadors to Spectra, before we knew that their attempts at peace talks were merely a cover to gather intelligence before attacking the Federation." Mark recalled. "She married a Spectran man who defected when he realized what his government was up to. That's why they were hunted down… Sorry, Jason, I didn't mean to remind you…"

"It's okay." But Jason didn't sound okay. He sounded raw and pained, and my heart contracted for him.

"Everything you said is true, Mark, but there's something you don't know… something I didn't even know myself until a couple of years ago. The man my mother married… he wasn't my father."

"What?" Mark gasped.

"My mother attended some private 'meeting' with a high level Spectran official. I don't even know who he was… but he lured her there under false pretences, and he attacked her there. She was raped, Mark."

"Jason, I didn't know…"

"I gather women, particularly offworlders, don't have many rights on Spectra, and no one 'believed' her when she tried to report what happened. They erased the man's name from the criminal report records. But my Dad… the man she married… _he_ believed her. They left Spectra, and the Federation was attacked the next day. No one knows for sure, but they think that the Spectrans wanted to keep the element of surprise on their side. They didn't want my mother, a high level ambassador, to 'warn' the Federation officials as to their true nature. Of course, the Federation was unprepared for the attack, and Riga suffered the brunt of it."

"Jason… why are you telling me this now?"

"Because you need to understand what Princess is feeling, Mark. My father… my _biological_ father… was some unknown Spectran administrator. My Dad knew that, but he stayed with my Mom anyway. He loved her, and he loved me. My Mom didn't care where I had come from. I was her son, and she loved me no matter what. _That's_ what I remember about my parents. _Not_ the way they died."

"That's why you weren't surprised by Princess' statement that Zoltar had violated her… that he had broken the Intergalactic Treaty." Mark surmised. "Because the same thing had happened to your own mother."

"Obviously I'm glad that my mother decided to keep me. But you, Mark… you have to decide how important it is to you to be with Princess. If she wants this baby, and it seems as if she does, are you going to truly support her?"

I held my breath, waiting for Mark's answer. Mark was a caring, noble man. He _had_ to do the right thing… yet it was taking him too long to respond to Jason's query. My eyes squeezed shut as the seconds passed, and fear clutched at my heart.

"I'll support her, of course." Mark finally replied. "She's the most important thing to me. But the child…" His voice drifted off.

"I…" Mark paused again. "Zoltar's child. A reminder, every single day, of what he did to Princess… I just don't know if I can…"

I didn't want to hear the rest. My breath caught in my throat and I gasped for air as I ran away, my feet pounding along the corridor, heedless of the calls of various personnel I passed and the painful stitch forming in my side. I didn't stop until I reached my room. Norei was thankfully absent, so I was free to lie down on my bed, curling into a ball before I cried myself to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A few hours later my communicator chirped an automated reminder that I had a medical appointment in one hour. I forced myself out of bed, washing my face and brushing my hair in an attempt to make myself appear presentable. Just as I was finishing my minimal toilette, Chief Anderson appeared at my door.

"Are you ready?" he asked me. I nodded quietly, unresisting as he accompanied me to the garage, where we got into the back of a Galaxy Security car and a driver took us to the hospital.

The Chief was busy with work during the drive, which was just as well, because I had no idea what to say to him. I was repelled by the idea that my foster father, the man who had taken in five orphaned children, would want me to terminate my pregnancy, and thought me a defector because I would not do so. I wasn't entirely certain what to think about all that I had learned.

Perhaps it was these thoughts that made me nervous as I was directed into a small assessment room at the hospital. My fingers twitched anxiously as I lay down on the examination table, waiting for the doctor.

"Good afternoon, Princess." Dr. O'Connor said as she entered the room. "Let's see how you've been doing this past week." Dr. O'Connor was my personal physician, and she had been one of the doctors who had tended to me when I had been brought in after my rescue from Spectra. I vaguely recalled seeing her once or twice during that time, but naturally my memories were rather hazy.

"Okay." I replied, unable to push aside the gloomy feelings I was experiencing. I pulled up my shirt to expose my abdomen so the Doctor could squirt on a cold, gel-like substance. She rolled over a machine with a large monitor on the front, then took a small wand and used it to spread the gel around on my stomach.

"Okay, let's take a look." Dr. O'Connor smiled, but my eyes were riveted to the monitor. Blurry images appeared and I squinted, attempting to make sense of them.

"There we go." the Doctor said, and suddenly I saw it too: the large, black expanse that was my uterus, and the tiny shape within. Even at this early stage, I could already distinguish a head, arms, legs… I stared, fascinated as the image moved around in time with the now-forgotten wand on my stomach.

I barely noticed when the Doctor added a second wand to the first, swirling it around as well. An eerie static filled the air, and I realized that this second device was meant to transmit sound.

"Princess…" Dr. O'Connor's voice was grave, and I instantly understood that all was not as it should be. "There's no heartbeat."

"What?"

I tore my eyes away from the monitor to stare at the Doctor in horror. "But… my baby is right there…" Silent tears fell down my cheeks as I processed this grim news.

"The baby is there, but it's no longer viable." Dr. O'Connor attempted to clarify what was happening. "It died in utero."

"But…" I cast about, seeking some kind of explanation. "How? Why? When?"

"At this point, I'm not entirely certain." Dr. O'Connor replied, in as kindly a manner as she could. "Your pregnancy was high risk from the start, given your medical state, the malnutrition, high physical stress levels… I don't know exactly how or when, other than that it must have been sometime in the last week. Even with perfectly healthy moms, this kind of thing can happen during the first trimester. It's the body's way of terminating something that's just not going to work out."

I wasn't capable of processing the words I was hearing. I stared blankly at the last frozen image of my baby on the monitor. Grief rolled through me, refusing to let me focus on anything but my sorrow; the intense sense of loss I felt at never having had the chance to know this tiny person who had so briefly been a part of me.

"The next step is a D&C…" the Doctor was saying, but I barely heard her. How could my baby be gone? I had been fighting for my child, doing everything I could to make my way home, wanting to protect this tiny infant. But I had been too late… or had it been too late from the very beginning? As Dr. O'Connor had pointed out, from the moment of conception I had been emotionally stressed, physically battered, undernourished and constantly overworked. Everything had been against this child from the start. Was it any wonder that my baby was now gone?

But I had _wanted_ this child… My mothering instincts had taken over, and I had loved it, so very much. I had hoped that would be enough, but in the end, it had been nothing in comparison to the obstacles my baby had faced.

"We can schedule the procedure immediately, if you like…"

"Procedure?" I immediately snapped out of my morose thoughts. "_Now_?"

"Yes." Dr. O'Connor nodded. "It will be easier for your body to heal if we do this sooner, rather than later. You will be able to recover quickly, seeing as you weren't very far along. It will be as if you were never pregnant at all…"

She made it sound so easy, yet I knew that this baby would remain in my heart forever.

"All right." I agreed emotionlessly. "Let's get this over with."

88888

The journey back to Camp Parker was painful in the extreme. Not so much physically, although I felt achy and cramped, but emotionally. Chief Anderson spoke reassuringly to me, yet I could sense the undercurrent of relief behind his sympathetic words. I had to tune him out, focusing instead on the flashing scenery passing by outside of my window. As the car pulled up at a traffic light we stopped beside a school. I could see little Kindergarteners on the playground laughing, running, full of life…

Stinging tears drifted down my cheeks, and Chief Anderson fell silent.

I was grateful to find that Norei was not in our room when I returned. I had never gotten around to telling her I was pregnant to begin with, so explaining this would have been somewhat difficult. I collapsed onto my bed, curling into the fetal position to alleviate some of the discomfort in my lower abdomen.

I drifted in and out of consciousness for some time, until a knocking on my door roused me back to my unwelcome reality. I shifted my body into a sitting position to receive my visitor, reluctantly acknowledging that I couldn't hide away forever.

"Come in." I called tiredly.

"Princess…" Mark entered the room hesitantly. "I wanted to see how you were doing. The Chief told me… well, I guess you're feeling under the weather right now."

"Yes." I said quietly, suddenly grateful that he was there. Mark had always been my rock; the one person on whom I could depend if the world fell apart. And it had, more than once. Mark had always been there for me. Just knowing that he was with me suddenly took a great deal of weight from my shoulders.

Carefully he sat down on the bed next to me, drawing me into the protective circle of his arms. I forgot everything I had felt that morning when I had inadvertently eavesdropped on his conversation, and took refuge in his embrace. I felt his lips pressing gently into my hair, and I turned my face upward to receive the comfort of his kisses. They filled me with a steady warmth that bolstered my courage. Suddenly I felt as if I was able to move on with my life, despite the tragedy that had occurred only a few hours before. I was tired of my emotional rollercoaster. I wanted to seize the happiness I could and move on.

"I'm so sorry, Princess." Mark murmured in my ear. "I had a long talk with Jason this morning. He explained some things to me, and helped me understand better what you were probably going through. I can see how you would feel a sense of loss, knowing that your baby is gone."

"It's worse than that, Mark." I attempted to explain. Tears rolled down my cheeks: my traitorously tumultuous hormones yanking me back into depression. "I feel like a part of me is missing. Something essential… something I loved… is gone. My child was taken away from me… someone I never had the chance to know."

"I understand that you're in pain." Mark sympathized, stroking my hair as I snuggled against his chest, soaking his number 1 shirt with my grief. "And I know it's hard to see right now, but this really is for the best, Princess."

"What?" My mouth fell open in horrified astonishment. "How can you say that, Mark?"

"Imagine what it would have been like if this baby had been born." Mark replied, lifting my face up so that he could look into my eyes. "You wouldn't have been a part of G-Force anymore. Instead, you would have become a target. I would have protected you of course, but you would have had to retreat from the world, living full time at Center Neptune, hiding your pregnancy, and later, your infant, so that no word of your condition got back to Spectra. But eventually it would have, and then Zoltar would have stopped at nothing to get to you, whether his interest was in keeping or killing the child."

"It would have been worth it!" I raged, beating my fists against his chest, attempting to pummel some sense into him. "I was ready to make that sacrifice! Ready to do anything…"

"This is better for the Chief as well." Mark attempted to persuade me to his point of view. "Now he has nothing to hold against you. There's nothing standing in the way of you being on the Team… of being with me."

"Is that it?" I snarled, so viciously that Mark drew back in shock. "You didn't want me if I had a baby?"

"No!" Now it was Mark's turn to be shocked by my accusation. "How could you even think that, Princess? After what we shared last night… of course I want you! No matter what!" His cheeks were red with indignation, and the truth of his words somehow filtered down through my wall of emotional anger and insinuated themselves into my brain.

"Then what did you mean, 'nothing standing in the way of being with me'?" I demanded, my eyes flashing hotly.

"I… I didn't want to share you." Mark admitted reluctantly. "A baby takes up a lot of time, focus, energy. And you couldn't have been on the Team. We would hardly have seen each other…"

"You… you don't want children?" I attempted to process what he was saying.

"I want children." Mark insisted. "_Our_ children. But not now. Later. Years from now. After the war is over. After we've had time to get used to 'just us'."

My heart thrilled to hear Mark talk of _our_ children, yet a part of me wasn't entirely satisfied.. He was telling me that it was better that my child had died… for his own selfish reasons, among others… and I was having a difficult time accepting that.

"I see…" I replied in a non-committal fashion, uncertain as to how to proceed. Mark's face flooded with relief, and he pulled me close to him once more.

"You'll see, Princess." he told me. "This is for the best."

Yet somehow, I wasn't so sure.

88888

A few days later, I was officially reinstated as a member of the G-Force Team. When Chief Anderson spoke to me I could sense some small reluctance behind his words of welcome, and I definitely got the impression that Mark's insistence had been behind this decision more than anything else.

I didn't care. All that mattered to me was that I was back on the Team. Immediately I threw myself back into training, attempting to recover the skills I had lost. Fortunately, my cerebonics had already begun rebuilding my lost muscle tissue, and I had remained physically active to some extent during my incarceration, having worked on fighting skills in anticipation of escape. With my body no longer focusing on nurturing another life within me, my muscle mass was returning, and I no longer appeared as frail as I had when I was first rescued. Of course it wasn't the same, and I hadn't been in full uniform for the better part of a year. Flying, while somewhat instinctive, required a finesse I no longer had.

From the moment I was reinstated on the G-Force Team, Mark was constantly by my side: taking meals with me, accompanying me everywhere, and most importantly, acting as my personal trainer. He watched and assessed me as I got myself back up to speed, making it his personal mission to see that I regained all of my former skills, if not exceeded them. I understood that this was his way of making up for the things he had said after he had first learned that I was pregnant. Every word, every action of his told me how sorry he was, and in the end, it was impossible not to forgive him.

Unfortunately, although we spent all of our time with each other, Mark and I didn't really have any time _alone_ together. When I was training, that was all we thought about. The rest of the time we were with other members of the G-Force Team, or with Chief Anderson. I had moved back into my childhood bedroom, and I rarely saw Norei any more, much less any of the other Spectran women I had known in the prison.

When Mark escorted me to my room in the evenings he would kiss me goodnight, yet he would never seek to accompany me across the threshold. I understood that he wasn't ready for anything more, and I did not wish to pressure him. Given my mixed feelings regarding Mark's assertions that losing my child was for the best, not to mention what I had endured at Zoltar's hands, a slow pace to our budding relationship suited me very well.

Approximately two weeks after I had returned to the Team, all G-Force members were summoned to Chief Anderson's office. Of course, I was expecting to hear that Zoltar was attacking a Federation planet with some kind of crazy robot, yet that wasn't what the Chief had to tell us.

"We've been picking up some unusual activity over the past week or so." Chief Anderson began, once we were all present. "At first, the reports we received were minor: incidents of robbery, destruction of minor amounts of property: general behavior typical of space brigands."

"What changed?" Mark asked.

"In the past two days, these incidents have increased dramatically in their severity." the Chief explained. "This morning we received a report that an entire city on Arcturus had been held hostage for supplies of food and mineral ores. 7-Zark-7 has analyzed the situation and determined that it is likely that all of the attacks over the past few days have been committed by the same group."

"Spectra?" Keyop questioned.

"This is small potatoes for Spectra!" Tiny disagreed.

"I concur. However Keyop is right about one thing." Chief Anderson noted.

"What's that?" Mark asked.

"Witnesses report that these men are wearing green Spectran military uniforms." the Chief revealed.

"That sure sounds like Spectra." Jason nodded. "I can't imagine anyone else wanting to wear those ridiculous outfits. But why would Spectra be involved in this petty stuff? It's not Zoltar's style to bother with little things like this."

"One city…?" Keyop burbled. "Little?"

"It's little when you consider that Zoltar usually attacks entire planets." the Commander reminded the boy. "And he doesn't simply ask for food and leave. He's definitely up to something."

"I'm not so sure."

"Huh?" Everyone turned around to look at me, surprised by my bold statement.

"One thing I learned while I was on Spectra was that not all of its people support Zoltar." I explained. "It's entirely possible that these men are Spectran, but not working for Zoltar at all."

"Or maybe they just stole some Spectran uniforms to throw off the heat?" Tiny guessed.

"Or they could be a diversion." Mark frowned. I shook my head. No one understood what I had been trying to say.

"It's your job to figure out this mystery." Chief Anderson ordered, cutting off any further discussion. "Everyone, move out!"

"G-Force!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

We ran to the Phoenix, taking off from the hangar beneath Camp Parker and then blasting up into the sky, through the atmosphere and beyond. As soon as we had cleared the solar system, Zark contacted the Phoenix to inform us that the 'Spectran space bandits' had last been sighted in the vicinity of the planet Persus. Tiny entered in our heading and initiated Time Warp, folding subspace to allow us to travel across the galaxy in less than an hour.

As soon as we were underway, Mark got out of his seat, coming to the back of the Bridge and laying his hand on my shoulder.

"Is everything all right, Princess?" he asked solicitously. "Anything you've forgotten? Are you still used to the rigors of Time Warp?"

"I'm fine." I smiled up at him. "I haven't forgotten any of the controls, and Keyop has brought me up to speed on the recent protocol changes."

"Doing… great!" Keyop chirped, giving the Commander a 'thumbs up' sign. Mark smiled, nodding approvingly.

"Thanks for watching out for my girl, Keyop." he said, winking before he returned to his assigned seat. I blushed deeply, and Keyop used this as an excuse to needle me for the remainder of our journey. Yet soon enough it was back to business, as we arrived at Persus. I began a sensor sweep of the area, searching for any sign of the space brigands.

"There!" I pointed to the scanning monitor, and Keyop nodded in agreement. "It's an ionized drive trail, with a Spectran warp signature." I reported.

"Follow it, Tiny." Mark instructed, before turning to Jason.

"Be ready to defend the Phoenix, but not unless I give the okay." the Commander warned the gunner.

"10-4!" Jason acknowledged, powering up the Phoenix's weapon systems and moving up to the front of the Bridge, where the firing mechanisms were located.

"Now where could they be hiding?" Mark asked himself, his eyes narrowing in thought as the Phoenix moved along the ion trail. "Not much out here other than the planet and…"

"That's it!" the Commander grinned with his realization. "They're hiding between Persus' twin moons! The shadows there would provide a perfect camouflage, and the heavy mineral deposits on the moons are interfering with our location scans!"

"Confirmed!" Keyop blurted, showing me what he had discovered on his instruments.

"Keyop's found a discrepancy in the scanning data." I explained. "A 'disturbance' about the size of a large Spectran troop transport."

"Check it out, Tiny." Mark ordered.

Carefully the Phoenix swung around the side of the first Persusian moon. The moment the Spectran ship came into sight, they began firing at us. It was clear that they had been tracking our movements, just as we had been tracking theirs.

"Fire!" Mark ordered Jason. "Destroy them!"

"No!" I shouted, leaping out of my chair in order to grab Jason's wrist as it hovered over the red firing button. "We don't know what they want! They may not be acting under Zoltar's orders. We have to give them the choice to surrender before we destroy them!" Now I regretted not having spoken up more at the briefing, but it wasn't too late. Not yet. Surely Mark would listen to reason.

"What?" the Commander turned, taken aback by the interruption. "Princess, they're firing at us!"

"They see us as a threat!" I replied. "But maybe if we give them a chance, they'll surrender, and we'll be able to figure out what they're doing."

"Princess, I…"

"We have to give them a chance, Commander." I insisted, standing firm. "They're humanoid beings. They deserve that much."

"How do you suggest getting them to stop firing?" Jason asked dryly, clearly irritated by the delay.

"Send a message." I urged Keyop.

"No… response…" Keyop burbled, as he followed my instruction.

There was a significant pause, broken only by the shifts and turns of the Phoenix as Tiny did his best to avoid the Spectran ship's fire. Fortunately its armaments appeared to be low-yield, and their aim wasn't nearly as accurate as I would have expected.

After a long moment, the Commander sighed heavily, nodding reluctantly at me.

"Okay, Princess. We'll board them and try to talk. You're right that this isn't the usual situation. We should try something different. Jason, Keyop, you're with the two of us. Tiny, divert their attention and make your way into the primary moon's atmosphere, just long enough that we can board them."

"Roger!" Tiny called, while the rest of us gathered on the elevation platform, in readiness for departure.

"Thank you, Commander." I smiled at Mark, and he returned the gesture.

"It's worth trying to save lives." he said quietly. Jason grimaced, but did not say anything, while Keyop merely looked confused. We watched silently as Tiny lured the other ship into the primary moon's atmosphere; low enough to provide us with sufficient oxygen as we boarded the Spectran spacecraft.

"Now!" Mark ordered. The elevation platform rose, bringing us up to the hull of the Phoenix, where the protective dome retracted. As one, the four of us jumped, gliding through the air toward the Spectran craft, while Tiny used the Phoenix's movement to distract the other ship from our maneuver. I gasped, both from the thinness of the air and my own excitement. I had forgotten how it truly felt to _fly_…

Mark pointed to an entry hatch on the top of the spacecraft and we followed him down to its location. It was sealed, of course, but Jason made quick work of its lock with the blowtorch attachment on his gun.

The door unlocked, and we dropped down into the Spectran ship, quietly closing the hatch behind us.

The interior of the ship was that of a standard large-scale Spectran troop transport, but I had never seen one as in as bad a condition as this; at least not _before_ I had set off explosives inside of it. The corridors were filthy and various wall panels and light fixtures appeared to be in desperate need of small repairs, as if daily maintenance had been forgone for some time. The air held the pungent odor of unwashed bodies and space jet fuel.

"Lousy… housekeepers!" Keyop noted, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Either their commanding officer is extremely lax," Mark thought out loud, "or…"

"Or they don't _have_ a commanding officer." Jason finished for him.

"They're rabble, then." Mark agreed.

"The question is _why_." I did my best to keep them both focused on my gut feelings about the situation. "Why are they without a captain, yet still in space for so long, forced to go stealing supplies just to survive?"

"Good question." Jason replied, and I noticed no sign of the irritation he seemed to have been feeling when we had departed the Phoenix.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, looking around carefully. "We should have had a welcoming party by now."

"You're presuming that someone's watching." Mark pointed out. "If they're as lax with security as they are with maintenance…" Even as the Commander spoke, the ship lurched to the side, sending all of us stumbling. Mark and Jason managed to keep their feet. I fell into the wall, which allowed me to stay upright. Keyop landed on the floor in an undignified heap.

"Speaking of maintenance…." Jason noted dryly, "it seems as if their inertial dampeners need some work."

"My guess is they're more worried about survival than maintenance." I offered. "If they're demanding food, that means they've run out of supplies. I'd say that's their primary concern at the moment."

"This is all supposition, until we find them." Mark reminded us.

"There!" Keyop pointed down the corridor, where a flash of green appeared briefly, as if someone was running through a cross-passageway.

"Good eye, Keyop." Mark praised him. "Everyone, let's go."

We proceeded along in standard fashion, keeping an eye out for anything unusual and moving cautiously throughout the vessel. Yet there appeared to be no need for our vigilance. We saw no other people, nor any robots. There were no traps, alarms, or security measures of any kind.

"This is creeping me out." Jason whispered finally. "It feels like they're holding back, ready to pounce on us with guns blazing."

"Then we'll have to be even more careful." was Mark's steady reply.

Still, there was nothing.

We followed the passageway Keyop had indicated, based on the glimpse of the soldier he had seen. Eventually we came to what was clearly the Bridge. Large double doors emblazoned with the Spectran devil logo stood between us and the control center for this spacecraft. Muffled shouts and the sounds of shuffling movement filtered through to our cerebonically enhanced ears.

"It seems like they're all in there." Mark observed.

"Too good to be true." Jason muttered disbelievingly.

"One way… to find out…" Keyop suggested.

"Wait!"

Everyone turned to look at me, impatience crossing their faces.

"If they're in there… we have to _talk_ to them." I reminded my teammates. "If they really are… renegades… we need to treat them differently. Remember, these men may not be working for Zoltar. They may be… on their own."

"They're lacking leadership, that's for certain." the Commander agreed. "But I don't like the idea that we can't even defend ourselves."

"We can defend ourselves." I pointed out. "But we shouldn't attack first. And no hits to kill."

"I hope you know what you're getting us into, Princess." Jason warned, just as the ship lurched again. This time we all stayed on our feet, pausing only momentarily before returning to the matter at hand.

"Trust… Princess…" Keyop stated firmly, slipping his hand into mine.

"Thanks, Keyop." I smiled down at him, gently squeezing his fingers.

"I trust you too, Princess." Mark said, his eyes conveying a deeper meaning than his words. The Commander was putting this mission on the line, on my say-so. He was taking what he perceived as an unnecessary risk, because he was accepting my judgment of the situation. This wasn't the kind of thing Mark did very often, and I understood that it was an enormous gesture on his part.

"Thank you, Mark." I told him. "If talking doesn't work… I understand that we'll have to be more forceful." He nodded curtly, then turned to the double doors.

Motioning us forward with hand signals, we crept the last few meters down the corridor, moving in a defensive, rather than offensive, position. As we approached the doors I began analyzing the likely bypasses I would have to make on the adjacent control pad to open the portal.

But to my surprise, the doors slid open all on their own, allowing access simply because they had sensed our presence. The others appeared just as taken aback as I was, but Mark didn't let this stop his planned course of action.

In front of us was the Bridge. A control room of this size was generally designed for perhaps five men and a Captain; perhaps as many as ten men if circumstances required. Yet there were at least twenty-five Spectran soldiers crammed into the small space, all of them facing forward, shouting at the front of the room.

The sheer number of voices made it difficult to discern what individual men were saying, yet I was able to pick out a few words.

"Get away!"

"Don't let up!"

"Keep dodging!"

We continued moving forward, all of us staring in amazement at the oblivious nature of the soldiers in front of us. Zoltar's men were often lazy, hastily recruited, or poorly trained, but they were never _this_ sloppy.

As we stood in the doorway of the already packed control room, we could see what had so preoccupied the men. Up on the main viewscreen, at the front of the Bridge, the Phoenix was clearly visible, dodging the various armaments that were being thrown at it.

"We don't wish to harm you." Mark said loudly. The men all turned around, their faces registering both shock and fear

"G-Force!"

"How did they get here?"

"What's going on?"

One man pushed to the front, the others stepping back, clearly glad that someone else had taken on the burden of addressing their unexpected guests.

"Commander…" the man said, utterly failing to swallow back his nervousness. "We didn't… we weren't…" He glanced nervously behind him, at the sight of the Phoenix on the viewscreen.

"We don't wish to harm you." Mark repeated. To the Spectrans he appeared calm and confident, but knowing him as well as I did I could sense his own confusion at the situation in which we found ourselves. These men were dressed, albeit in a slovenly manner, in Spectran military uniforms, yet they weren't attacking us, nor making any move to run away. For the most part they were simply… surprised.

"Then… why are you here?" the man asked.

"Galaxy Security has received reports of certain… disturbances." Mark replied slowly. I could see Keyop's eyes darting around nervously, while Jason's gaze was careful and assessing, his hand never straying too far from his gun.

"We came to investigate." Mark concluded, his eyes fixed on the man in front of him. "We were wondering if you could enlighten us."

"We never meant to hurt anyone." the man blurted, not even attempting to hide his nervousness now. "But we needed supplies. We were running out of food!"

"Weren't you sufficiently stocked with provisions when you left Spectra?" Jason asked coldly. I could see his suspicion written in the lines of his face.

"Well, uh… we didn't exactly plan to be gone this long." The man appeared sheepish. "We… we're defectors… I guess…"

"Defectors?" Keyop's sharp cry reflected our astonishment. "Not… Spectran?"

"Of course we're Spectran!" the man intoned proudly, but then his face fell. "But… I don't think we'd be too welcome on Spectra right now. Not after…" He blanched, as if he had said too much.

"You can tell us, Captain." I said kindly, reaching out to offer him a gentle touch of friendship. "I'm sure we'll understand."

"Oh, I'm not the Captain." the man flushed. "Just a sergeant. Sergeant Wiltek. The Captain's long gone."

"What happened to him?" Mark asked.

"He didn't agree with us." another man mumbled.

"Didn't agree with you?" Jason repeated, with a slight air of confusion.

"Our orders… we were told to destroy the city of Silanto," Wiltek explained, "but many of us have family there…"

"Wait a minute!" Jason interrupted, disbelief written across his face. "You were ordered to destroy a _Spectran_ city?"

"The Captain said it was a rebel stronghold." another soldier piped up. "But it's not true! At least, not _all_ of the city…"

"We were chosen for this task on purpose." Wiltek elaborated. "Lord Zoltar wanted us to destroy our own city, our own families, to prove our loyalty to him and his orders."

"The Captain wasn't very pleased when we said we wouldn't do it." Wiltek revealed. "And there were a few men who agreed with him. But we couldn't let them… Anyhow, they're gone now."

"For good!" the other soldiers muttered in satisfaction.

"And you're the highest ranking officer remaining." Mark observed. "These men follow you?"

"Yes." Wiltek nodded.

"Then I'm willing to take your word that there will be no further 'demands' on Federation colonies." the Commander said dryly.

"No." Wiltek shook his head fervently. "You're really not going to kill us, Commander?"

"I'd rather not." Mark grinned. "It seems to me that you men have the moral high ground in this situation."

"Sergeant!" The men behind Wiltek began whispering amongst themselves, then prodding their leader. Wiltek turned to address them, and became involved in their heated discussion. Sheepishly he turned back to the Commander.

"Uh… Commander… Sir…" Wiltek flushed as he spoke. "The men and I were wondering… Would the Federation be willing to…uh… take us in?"

"Asylum?" Mark was shocked. For that matter, so was I. Jason and Keyop appeared stunned.

"We… we can't go back to Spectra." Wiltek admitted. "We've run out of food. And… We heard what you did for the rebel prisoners." He glanced shyly over at me.

"Seeing her here," he gestured in my direction, "I'd guess the rumors are true. You took them back to the Federation, didn't you?"

"Yes." I confirmed. "The women who were with me at the Traitor's Prison are safe."

"Is… is Llandra among them?" One man stepped forward, his face anxious. "She's my sister."

"Yes." I nodded, recalling the woman of whom he spoke. "If she's your sister, she would be very happy to see you."

"Please, Commander." Wiltek practically begged. "Things have changed on Spectra… Life is much more… difficult. Lord Zoltar was enraged when your G-Force woman escaped. Ever since, things have been rough. Rations have been drastically cut, curfews enforced. People are afraid to say anything for fear that they'll be accused of being rebels. And as for the rebels… well, let's just say that Silanto isn't the first city that's been targeted."

"I'm sure the Federation would be very interested in hearing details of these developments." Mark noted.

"Does that mean that you're willing to accept our proposal?" Wiltek asked hopefully.

"I'll contact Chief Anderson." Merck agreed.

"Great!" the Sergeant declared, as the men cheered. "So… what happens now?"

"I guess you follow us back to Federation space." the Commander sighed.

88888

"You _what_?" Chief Anderson's face was aghast. Even on the tiny communication monitor, I could see the astonishment on his face. The blackness of space sped by as we passed through in Time Warp, making our way back to central Federation territory.

"I gave them temporary asylum, until we could talk to you." Mark answered. "They're not able to return home, and they paint an interesting picture of what's happening on Spectra right now. I think you need to listen to what they have to say, Chief."

"Mark, you can't keep coming back from missions with a shipload of refugees." Anderson growled in frustration. "Just what am I supposed to tell President Kane?"

"Exactly what I've told you." Mark replied calmly. "Princess was right, Chief. The Spectran people… well some of them, anyway… are really unhappy with Zoltar as their leader. And he's cracking down, hard. No wonder we haven't heard from Spectra in weeks! Zoltar's too busy dealing with his own domestic issues to think about attacking us!"

"I'll do my best." the Chief sighed. "Bring them to Galaxy Security facilities on Riga. I'll see what I can do."

88888

Of course, granting almost thirty Spectran men refugee status had far-reaching implications, and not just for President Kane's public image, Much to Chief Anderson's dismay, the Rigans proved to be unable to keep the presence of the Spectran soldiers under wraps, and soon even the Spectran women housed at Camp Parker knew of them. When my fellow former inmates learned why the men had been granted asylum, the women naturally wanted to see them. This was especially true for Llandra, who wanted to visit immediately upon hearing of her brother's presence amongst this other group. What with all of the tactical workings to arrange such a meeting, I did not have a chance to speak with Norei for a few days. But finally, one afternoon, shortly after Norei's 'delegation' of women (accompanied by Tavis Demandro) had returned from Riga, we were able to meet together in the gardens of Camp Parker.

"It has been too long." Norei said, embracing me. "Even when we shared a room, it seemed as if we were only together while we slept."

"And now we are not necessarily even in the same place." I reminded her. "For the past three days, you have been on Riga."

"That is true." Norei concurred. "It seems as if we are destined for different paths."

"I have always known that," I admitted, "but I still enjoy whatever time we spend together. You are a good friend, Norei."

"I feel the same." Norei agreed. "And I will remember you when I am gone."

"Gone?" I asked, surprised. "Where are you going?"

"Your Federation President has given us leave to return to Spectra." Norei sniffed indignantly, clearly offended at the notion of having to obtain 'permission' for such a thing. "More importantly, through your Chief Anderson, we have arranged for transport ships, medical supplies, and food. We will be bringing sorely needed provisions to the Yellow Flag."

"Everyone is going?" I asked, knowing the answer before I heard it.

"All of us." Norei confirmed. "The women from the Traitor's Prison, the men on Riga, even Tavis. None of us wish to live on a planet controlled by Lord Zoltar any longer. Yet neither do we wish to abandon Spectra. It is our home; it is where we belong."

"I can understand that."

"You agreed that we are destined for different paths," Norei went on, "but I feel that I must ask: would you come with us? We could use a woman of your talents."

"I would be honored." I told her, tears in my eyes. "But my place is here. Just as you have a duty to the people of Spectra, so too do I have a duty to the people of the Federation."

"I understand." Norei nodded, her eyes bright. "But I felt I had to offer. To let you know that you were… wanted."

"I will miss you." I told Norei, embracing her.

"And I you." Her words and tone were stiff, but her returning embrace gave voice to her true feelings.

"When do you leave?" I asked, pulling back.

"Tonight." Norei admitted. "Our ships are ready and we see no reason to delay."

"Tonight." I absorbed this news slowly. "I wish you speed and luck on your journey."

"Thank you." Norei replied. "We will need it."

"So… how was your visit to Riga?" I asked curiously, suddenly eager to change the subject.

"Very… illuminating." Norei replied slowly. "The stories these men tell… It seems that Lord Zoltar was infuriated by our escape from the Traitor's Prison."

"That's hardly unexpected." I murmured.

"Of course not," Norei agreed, "but I gather he was also embarrassed by this turn of events, and he was forced to publicly admit that there had been an 'incident'. He told the Spectran people that all of the prisoners had been killed in their _failed_ attempt at escape."

"But… how could he expect to support such an untruth?" I asked, amazed.

"Tavis has a theory about that." Norei replied. "He thinks that Zoltar was planning to stay away from G-Force: to take a break from the war, such as it were. Then, eventually, when he would have had to face G-Force on some future occasion and there were five of you, he would declare that the female member of the team was a replacement."

"Where would Tavis come up with such an idea?" I frowned. "How did he figure such a thing out?"

"Lord Zoltar has done this before," Norei revealed, "when certain rebel leaders were declared to be dead, but then later reappeared."

"I see." I murmured, my mind working a mile a minute on the implications of all of this. "I guess it says a lot that Zoltar has to deceive the Spectran people so much."

"The difference is that now the Spectran people have an idea that they are not being told the truth." Norei said. "Their lives are being affected as well. The men said that rationing has been in effect for the past three tennights, even for people in the Capital."

"Why are things so tight, all of a sudden?" I asked.

"This is not 'all of the sudden'." Norei explained. "It has been coming for a long time. The Spectran Empire is short on resources. This is why we are at war: Spectra needs to control planets with vast networks of resources, to supply its needs."

"So Spectra has finally run out?"

"It looks that way."

"If that's true, then Zoltar has his back to the wall." I said. "And in that kind of situation, people do desperate things."

"Lord Zoltar has never been someone who is been known for prudence." Norei noted.

"Or sanity." I added.

It was only two days later that we were to find out how right we were.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"The size of this armada is unlike anything we've ever encountered before." Chief Anderson told us, blurred images of faraway spacecraft appearing on the monitor in front of the G-Force Team. "7-Zark-7 estimates that there are at least five massive robots, a dozen large spaceships, and hundreds of smaller warcraft."

"But that's impossible!" Tiny blurted out.

"Clearly it's not impossible, since they're all out there." Jason observed sarcastically. "Or are you doubting Zark's infallibility?" For just an instant, a flash of dark humor crossed his face.

"I think it's safe to say that Zoltar is throwing everything he's got at us." Mark said.

"An all-or-nothing maneuver?" I suggested.

"Nothing… for Zoltar!" Keyop declared indignantly.

"Your confidence is great, Keyop, but first we have to figure out how to defeat this Spectran armada." Mark pointed out.

"I've asked the Red Rangers for their input on this," Chief Anderson informed us, "seeing as this offensive is clearly too vast for G-Force to take on alone."

"Chief, are all of those spacecraft for real?" I asked, as Keyop scowled at me.

"Didn't we just cover this?" Jason rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but your comment got me thinking." I replied. "Perhaps some of these are ghost images: tricks to fool our scanning systems into thinking there are more of them than there are. It would be the first time Zoltar has tried such a thing."

"The ghost ships of planet Mir…" Mark mused thoughtfully. "It could be, Princess."

"I'll have Zark look into it." Chief Anderson noted.

"You mean, that bucket of bolts didn't already think of this?" Jason snorted derisively.

"Be nice… to Zark!" Keyop chided, the Jason ignored him.

"Where are all of the ships, real or not, headed?" Tiny asked pragmatically.

"At this point, were not entirely certain." the Chief admitted. "They're moving somewhat slowly, likely because they're keeping together as a group. That limits them to the speed of their slowest ship."

"But that could change at any moment." Jason noted.

"Which is why we need to set up a defensive plan immediately." the Commander responded. "The Phoenix, the Red Rangers, Interplanetary Defense Forces…"

"That's about the sum of it." Chief Anderson concurred. "I trust the Phoenix and the Rangers to take on any of these ships, but the Interplanetary Defense Forces would be limited to dealing with only the smaller ships."

"Hundreds… of those!" Keyop observed.

"They'll certainly get their chance for action." Jason agreed.

"The problem is when, and where." Mark reminded everyone.

"At this point we don't know that." the Chief stated.

"Well we can't patrol the entire Federation at once." I said. "We'll have to guess at likely targets, keep in constant communication and redeploy as necessary."

"So what are the likely targets?" Tiny asked.

"Earth." Jason grimaced. "Riga."

"Anything vulnerable that they think we're less able to defend." I suggested.

"I'm more with Jason on this one." the Commander said slowly. "With this many ships, they're after a big prize. Maybe multiple prizes."

"Multiple targets?" Keyop burbled. "How many?"

"As many as they can take!" Tiny growled. "Not that we're going to let them!"

"You make a good point, Tiny." Mark acknowledged. "On second thought, perhaps Jason and Princess are _both_ right. Zoltar has one or two big targets in mind, but will grab anything else he can. The sheer number of ships suggests that he has enough troops to occupy whatever planets he plans to conquer."

"Still, it would help to know where he plans to head first, or even if he's planning to keep his forces together." Jason observed, just as 7-Zark-7's worried visage appeared on the communication screen behind Chief Anderson's head. I had no idea how that robot was able to convey emotions with his rigid mechanical expression, but intense concern was coming off of him in waves.

"What is it, Zark?" the Chief asked.

"Susan!" Zark sputtered, this communication lights fluttering wildly. "Pluto!"

"Pluto?" Chief Anderson turned on and information monitor, his forehead furrowing as he took in the data displayed there.

"It's the Early Warning Station." he confirmed. "It's been hit. There is no response."

"Susan!" Zark gibbered. "Gone!"

"Susan?" Keyop repeated anxiously.

"There's no way of knowing right now," the Chief's expression was grim, "but it appears as if half of the planet was obliterated. The Early Warning Station has been completely vaporized."

Zark began muttering incoherently to himself, and it was clear that the robot would be of no further use for some time.

"Wait a minute… how did Zoltar reach Pluto without Zark seeing him?" Tiny asked.

"Apparently Spectra has developed some kind of stealth technology that our sensors can't detect." Chief Anderson thought aloud.

"Can't detect…" I muttered, a sudden thought coming to my mind. "If the Early Warning Station was hit, and we can't detect the ships from here, we have no way of tracking this armada!" I exclaimed.

"What is the armada's last known position, Chief?" Mark asked.

"Here, at coordinates Gamma Sigma Five." Chief Anderson answered the Commander.

"We'll take the Phoenix and attempt to intercept any force enroute to Earth." Mark decided. "Tell the Rangers to set up a defensive force around Riga, and the Interplanetary Defense Forces to cover the other areas."

"Sounds like a good plan." the Chief agreed.

"But what if Zoltar's ships get past us?" Jason asked. "Some of them obviously got to Pluto without our knowing, and now they've blinded us even more without the Early Warning System. That new stealth technology must be a doozy!"

"Spectra… hidden?" Keyop's eyes darted warily around the room.

"We'll just have to figure it out before anything happens." Mark declared.

"We'd better hurry!" I pointed out, not without some urgency. "If the Spectrans are heading to Earth straight from Pluto, and we don't have much time to intercept them, no matter where the rest of the armada is located."

"Princess is right. Get going everyone!" Chief Anderson ordered.

"G-Force!"

88888

"It's been two hours. Where the heck are they?" Jason slammed his fist onto the control panel in frustration as Keyop gasped.

"Just because this is a tense situation doesn't give you the right to use foul language, Jason." Tiny chided.

"We're all tense, Tiny." I reminded him. "Jason, Keyop and I are doing our best to detect the Spectran fleet, but we haven't been able to find anything. I've tried at least two dozen variations on my sensor sweeps, but there seems to be nothing out there!"

"It's unlikely the Zoltar destroyed Early Warning System and then just went home." Mark lectured. "We need to keep looking, trying all possible combinations."

"Don't know… what…" Keyop grimaced.

"Keyop's right, this is like searching for a needle in a haystack!" Jason agreed.

"We'll find something." I did my best to support Mark, but it was difficult to keep the despair out of my voice. With each passing minute it seemed as if we were getting further and further away from a solution.

When I had been held prisoner on Spectra, Zoltar had had me completely restrained, so that I had been unable to move. It had been terrifying to be forced to submit to his whims, without any means of fighting back. I had never felt so helpless in my life.

Now it seemed as if Zoltar was still capable of making me feel helpless. The only difference now was that he was having this effect on the entire G-Force Team.

The harsh chime of an incoming emergency message sounded from the front of the Bridge. Chief Anderson's face came onto the communications monitor, his expression grim.

"It's Riga." he said without preamble. "The Spectrans have attacked, but the Red Rangers are running blind. They can't locate the Spectran ships unless they are in visual contact."

"We're on our way." Mark replied instantly.

"No, Commander." the Chief disagreed. "We need the Phoenix to protect the Earth. This may not be the entire armada. In fact, it's very likely that there are other ships out there."

"So we just have to sit here and do nothing?" Jason was astounded.

"We can't just sit by and let the Rigans fight without us, Chief." Mark protested.

"You can and you will, Commander." Chief Anderson replied. "That's a direct order. Right now the Earth is your first priority."

"Our mandate is to protect the entire Federation." I pulled out a last-ditch argument, even knowing as I spoke that it wouldn't work.

"Even G-Force has its limits." the Chief admitted grimly, confirming my suspicions. "Stay close to Earth. Anderson out."

"Were not going to listen to him, are we?" Jason growled.

"I'm afraid we have to." Mark sighed reluctantly. "The Chief's right: Earth is a likely target. The Spectran armada is more than large enough to split up into two or more groups. We may very well be needed here. If the Spectrans attack the Earth, we don't want to be stuck on the other side of the galaxy."

"Caught… with pants down!" Keyop added gloomily. "No way!"

"But the Rigans need our help!" Tiny said.

"The people of Earth need our help too." I pointed out. "We can't let them down."

"Regardless, we're going to follow the Chief's orders, and that's final." Mark declared.

The next hour passed as a series of excruciating moments. We sat helplessly as reports from Riga came in, and the situation there became more and more grim. These circumstances were most difficult for Mark, who had only learned that Colonel Cronus was his father the year before. The Commander had developed a personal attachment to the planet, although he hadn't lived there since he was four years of age. I could see his pain in the stiff set of his shoulders as he faced the main viewscreen at the front of the Bridge, and in his eyes during the rare moments when he looked at the rest of us. I longed to reach out to him, to show him that he wasn't alone, yet I knew that this wasn't the time or the place to do so.

Twenty tense minutes later, Keyop moaned in despair as another report from Riga came it. The Red Rangers were in trouble. The defenses were crumbling and Spectran ships had already landed on the planet. The fighting was heaviest in the upper atmosphere in the skies above Keenari, Riga's capital city and the location of Galaxy Security headquarters for the planet. It was quickly becoming apparent that without aid, the Rigans wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. Civilians were being evacuated from the planet, but many of these passenger ships were being shot down. Whether by accident, or as an intentional act by the Spectrans, was unknown.

Jason glared at Keyop, but the expression was more one of involuntary reaction than true annoyance. We were emotionally drained, exhausted by the continuing reports slowly spelling out the Rigans' doom.

"G-Force!" Chief Anderson's sharp voice came through the sound system; this message was audio only. "Get back to Earth, immediately! The North American continent is being attacked on the western coast!"

"What?" Tiny sat bolt upright, even as his hands were already at the controls, breaking from our patrol pattern and turning the Phoenix around.

"They snuck right past us!" Jason swore.

"Didn't see…!" Keyop cried.

"They must have had their stealth settings engaged." I was disheartened.

"It doesn't matter!" Mark lectured us. "What matters is that we stayed away from Riga to protect the Earth, and now we're going to do just that! You all know what to do."

"Yes, Commander." I nodded, grateful for the emotional strength that Mark offered.

"Darn tootin'!" Jason shouted. "We'll show those Spectrans who's boss!"

"Still can't… track them…" Keyop reminded us.

"We know where they are, and we'll be able to make visual contact." I told him.

"And then I'll hit them with our entire arsenal of TBX missiles!" Jason's lip curled viciously.

"Pedal to the metal, Tiny!" Mark urged.

"Already on it, Commander!" Tiny replied.

It was true. We were entering Time Warp, a technique that was dangerous enough under normal circumstances, but made more so by the fact that we were traveling through less than a third of the solar system, and for such a short duration. Tiny's timing would have to be incredibly precise to execute such a maneuver.

Of course I needn't have worried. Less than thirty seconds later we shot out of Time Warp, only to encounter the sight of hundreds of Spectran warcraft swarming over the entire California coast. As I had so glibly reminded Keyop, we were able to counter their attack because we could see them.

Most of the ships were small space fighters and medium-sized attack craft, but two giant dinosaur-like creatures were flying over the coastline, ravaging anything in sight. A few GalSec robot fighters were putting up some resistance, but this clearly wasn't presenting much of a stumbling block for the Spectrans.

"Let me at them!" Jason rushed forth to the front of the Bridge, holding his finger over the ominous red button that fired the Phoenix's missiles. "I'll blow them to pieces!"

"We can't do it that way!" Mark disagreed, grabbing Jason's arm and holding him back. "There are far too many. Even you can't take them out fast enough, Jason." Jason's face fell as he realized the truth of the Commander's words.

"We'll use the Fiery Phoenix!" Mark declared.

"We'll fly as long as we can, up and down the coast, taking it as many Spectran ships as possible." he continued. "Tiny, obviously those dinosaur robots are top priority."

"How… long?" Keyop's expression was pale and pinched. I understood his concern. The Fiery Phoenix had been designed for use up to thirty seconds. Through revision and technology upgrades made based on data from actual usage, the Galaxy Security technicians had authorized us to now use this maneuver for up to sixty seconds. We had never gone for longer than seventy-five seconds, and on that one occasion the Phoenix had been torn apart. Of course it had been rebuilt since then…

Then there was the matter of our physical endurance. We had all been trained to survive the Fiery Phoenix's extreme conditions for up to two minutes, in simulations at Center Neptune. However our actual experience with this offensive technique was obviously less than this.

"As long as it takes." Mark stated grimly. "We all knew what we signed up for. We took an oath to give our lives in defense of the Federation, in defense of the Earth, if necessary."

"We understand, Commander, and we're ready." Jason responded. He caught my eye and I nodded in agreement.

"We're with you, Commander!" I added.

"G-Force!" Keyop cried.

"Fiery Phoenix ready, Commander." Tiny reported.

"Let's do this!" Mark shouted. "Fiery Phoenix!"

The usual orange-red light washed over my vision. Although I had been through the simulation twice since my return from Spectra, this was the first time I had experienced 'the real thing' in nearly a year. The memory of the searing pain making its way into my lungs had paled in comparison to the actual sensation now forcing itself upon me. I gasped in shock, tears running from my eyes, only to instantly evaporate on my cheeks. I tossed my head, a lock of my hair falling from beneath my helmet to lie in a sticky mass of dried sweat on my forehead. Every muscle ached, my blood boiled, and my bones felt as if they were turning to ash in an instant.

My internal chronometer told me that it had been seventy seconds.

I screamed in horrifying silence, unable to force any sound from my cracked, dry throat, knowing that I could not endure any longer, yet that I must, grabbing onto each second as it passed, understanding that I had no other choice but to survive. Zoltar had not beaten me when he had captured me or held me on Spectra. How could I let him defeat me now?

Each breath I took was more unbearable than the last, and yet somehow, I bore it. I cried out again, reaching out with aching muscles for Keyop, to obtain some comfort in the presence of another. But it was not Keyop I found. Sturdy arms wrapped around me, passing on their strength just as I was about to slip into an abyss of unconsciousness, a blackness from which I might not return.

Yet the arms continued to hold me tightly, refusing to let me go, preventing me from falling away into never-ending darkness. They forced me to remain in that world of crimson air and scorching pain that was now my entire existence.

I clung to those arms, aware that they were all that held me back from the brink, knowing that now, even in this time of absolute crisis, they were there for me; the one person whom I loved most in the universe was caring for me, doing his best to ensure that I would go on.

Doing his best to ensure that we would go on together.

"Mark…" I sobbed with airless breath, sagging against a solid form, even as I realized that he was kneeling next to my chair, bracing his body against the floor and my control panel.

"Mark…"

I had no idea if he had heard me or not, but his steady embrace tightened around my limp form, as if in response to my plea.

"I'm here, Princess."

He must have spoken the words, yet I didn't hear them. They were simply _there_ in my mind, echoing through my body, filling me with the strength and fortitude I needed to go on through this blazing nightmare.

Mark was all I needed.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

After that, the seconds simply passed by, my agony barely a footnote to the overwhelming feeling of comfort and safety I felt being in Mark's arms. Yet after a blissful eternity, the light faded, returning me to the cool blue-white of the Bridge's everyday operation. I felt Mark's arms withdraw as he stood and returned to his seat at the front of the Bridge, his knees trembling so slightly I was certain that only I had noticed. The others were raising themselves from a drug-like stupor, as if they had had to hypnotize themselves to make it through the ordeal.

"How long…?" Keyop asked, his eyes red and bleary with exhaustion.

"Four minutes." Tiny replied, his shoulders drooping and his voice absent of its usual liveliness. "That's a new record."

"I guess those new cooling systems held up." Jason groaned, rubbing his eyes underneath his visor. "Not that I wanted to test them in quite that way."

"We couldn't have done it without all five of us giving it our all." Tiny added. "The Fiery Phoenix feeds off of our own energy as much as the fuel. Our implants were working overtime."

"No wonder mine feels burned out." I sighed.

"How effective was it?" Mark asked, turning to his control panel before Tiny could answer. His eyes grew wide as he analyzed the readout.

"_Both_ dinosaurs?" he gasped, his jaw dropping to the floor. "And a third of the other ships? Tiny, you're amazing!"

"I couldn't have done it without the rest of you." the pilot answered, but his exhausted face glowed with pride. "I just kept aiming for the big stuff, until we passed through the entire fleet."

"There are still more of them." Jason reminded us, stepping up to the front of the Bridge and the red firing button. "With your permission, Commander?" He grinned cockily at Mark.

"Be my guest, Jason." Mark grinned back, sheer relief bringing a smile to his face.

"Let's start analyzing the ships now that we're up close." I said to Keyop, turning back to my monitors. "Perhaps now that we can _see_ them, we can figure out why we can't detect them."

But my hard-won optimism was short-lived. There was still no sign of the Spectran spacecraft on my scanners, even when I could tell, from looking at the main viewscreen, that they were right in front of us.

"They must be emitting some kind of jamming field." I muttered to myself, as Jason crowed with another direct hit up the weapons station. "But it's not like anything I've ever encountered."

"New… technology?" Keyop suggested. "Wave field?"

"Quite possibly." I agreed. "But without knowing the source of these waves, we'd never be able to get around them to see the ships' positions. We'll just have to try everything we can think of."

"All done, Commander" Jason smirked, dusting off his hands in a gesture of superiority. "The few that are left can easily be taken care of by those GalSec robot planes."

"Well done, Jason…" Mark began, but he was interrupted by another urgent communiqué from Chief Anderson.

"G-Force, you are needed immediately at the Indian Ocean." The Chief ordered sharply. "The Spectrans our staging an offensive there."

Our momentary high immediately dissipated, five faces falling to the floor. Our bodies sagged, instantly weighed down by exhaustion and dismay. Yet we had no time for such self-indulgence. The Earth was still at risk.

"New heading, Tiny." Mark ordered.

"I'm on it, Commander!" Tiny replied, mustering up what little enthusiasm he could.

The scene we had come upon at the western coast of North America was repeated in the Indian Ocean. This time there was only one massive dinosaur, but it was accompanied by two large flying bats and a number of smaller warcraft. Immediately, Mark ordered Keyop to move up to the front of the Bridge, passing control of the Fiery Phoenix to Tiny. The Commander took over Keyop's chair beside me, yet everyone else was too exhausted to comment on this unorthodox seating assignment.

I smiled warmly at Mark, doing my best to focus on his presence beside me, rather than on the ordeal ahead. The Commander took my hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly as the offensive maneuver began. The heat and pain of the Fiery Phoenix hit me worse than before, yet Mark was there from the start. The touch of his hand was my guide through the complete and utter agony of our blazing attack. Simply knowing that Mark was with me made it easier to bear.

This time it only lasted three minutes, but since we had already been through the maneuver barely an hour before, the physical toll the Fiery Phoenix took was exponentially higher. Usually we had twenty-four hours to rest before attempting the Fiery Phoenix again, but today we hadn't had that luxury.

Jason's enthusiasm for shooting down the remaining Spectran vessels had diminished somewhat, and this time he did the job with a quiet but dismal efficiency. Keyop and I did our best to concentrate on breaking through the Spectran stealth settings, but it was difficult to do with my head pounding like a jackhammer. Needless to say, we made little, if any, progress.

"Commander!" A fuzzy image of Colonel Tsubar, current leader of the Red Rangers, came interview on the communications monitor. "Commander, are you there?"

"I can read you, Tsubar." Mark replied anxiously. "What is it?"

"Thank goodness!" Tsubar appeared to be intensely relieved. "I wasn't certain I would be able to reach you. I have a message from those Spectrans soldiers you brought to Riga a week ago."

"A message?" Mark frowned in confusion. "Now?"

"Yes," Tsubar replied. "They left a couple of days ago, but apparently they've been monitoring our situation from Spectra. They contacted me and asked me to pass this on. Sergeant Wiltek wanted you to know immediately; he said it would help. The Sergeant said that Zoltar is using diurian sigma radiation. He doesn't know how, but it's apparently a significant part of these Spectran spacecraft. We haven't had a chance to pursue this lead, as we've had our hands full, but we were hoping that you could do so."

"How is the fight going?" Mark asked. "We've had our hands pretty full on Earth too."

"Right now there seems to be some kind of prearranged break. The Spectrans have pulled back for a moment and give us some breathing space." Tsubar answered. "But I won't lie to you, Commander. Things look very bad right now. If they launch another full offensive…" He held his hands up helplessly.

"I understand, Colonel." the Commander acknowledged. "We'll do our best with this information. Thank you for bringing it to our attention. Over and out."

"Good luck, Commander." Tsubar said, as his image faded out.

"Diurian sigma radiation…" Mark muttered to himself. But I was way ahead of him.

"Commander, if this information is correct, then the Spectrans are using an inverse diurian shield!" I exclaimed. "No wonder we can't detect it!"

"The Phoenix's sensors are only set to detect quadrion fields." Mark agreed. "But could this really be right, Princess? Diurian fields aren't used because they are so unstable. They only have a lifetime of a few seconds."

"Obviously Zoltar's found some way to stabilize those fields." Jason observed dryly.

"How?" Keyop chirped eagerly. It was clear that this discovery had revived his hopes… all of our hopes.

"It doesn't matter, does it, as long as we can detect the fields?" Tiny asked. "If we can find them, we find the Spectran ships, right?"

"True enough." Jason smirked. "It's enough of a target for me."

"We just need to locate the specific frequency they're using and reconfigure our sensors." I said.

"Then let's get to it!" Mark ordered.

"Yes, Commander!" Jason, Keyop and I all replied in unison, suddenly eager to begin our work anew. For the following hour, Mark and Tiny patrolled the area, cleaning up any remaining Spectran ships while the rest of us worked on analyzing the data we'd been able to collect, using the parameters we had been newly given. The task was slow going, but we were reinvigorated and highly motivated.

"I think I've got something!" Jason shouted, leaping to his feet in excitement at his discovery. "Check this out, Commander!" Mark rushed over to Jason's workstation, a hopeful light in his eyes.

"See?" Jason pointed at the display in front of him. "Look at theses results! I ran this through this sigma spectrum on diurian frequency BH-712…"

"They're glowing!" Mark's eyes widened. "Princess, contact Colonel Tsubar and relay this information to him."

"Roger, Commander!" I looked over the data from Jason's terminal as it was displayed on my workscreen. This technique could be used to scan for and detect the Spectran ships! Hopefully the Rigans would be able to apply it to assist in the defense of their planet.

I managed to contact Colonel Tsubar, passing along the information. At first, he appeared hopeful, but then his face fell as he read over the data.

"I'm sure this would work," he said, "if we had diurian scanners available to us. That technology was discarded for possible use so long ago that we don't have the capability of searching for it. We could build such scanners of course, but not in the next few hours."

"We'll keep working on the problem, Colonel." I assured him. "In the meantime, perhaps Galaxy Security can provide some scanning equipment. I'll contact Chief Anderson immediately."

"Thank you, G-Force." the Colonel replied. "Over and out."

Everyone else was still crowded around Jason's workstation (save Tiny, who was occupied piloting the ship) and they had not been privy to my conversation. I passed on the Colonel's response, watching Mark's face fall as he learned of the Rigans' dilemma.

"I never thought of that." he admitted. "I'll contact Chief Anderson and make the request. In the meantime, it seems that we have to get back to the drawing board if we're going to assist our friends."

"No time!" Keyop shouted, waving wildly at the main viewscreen. We turned to look at the same time that Tiny pulled the Phoenix into a dive, sending us sprawling. I scrabbled for the edge of my console, barely managing to hold myself upright as Keyop went flying over his workstation and slammed into the wall. I heard Mark and Jason grunt as they struggled to stay standing.

"We've got company, Commander!" Tiny yelled, although by now we were all well aware of the problem. "Lots of it!" A vast swarm of Spectran ships filled the sky.

"We'll take care of it!" Mark shouted in my direction. "Princess and Keyop, keep working on that cloaking issue. Jason, I'll need your expertise at weapons."

"Good to know I'm wanted." Jason smirked, cracking his knuckles as he stepped toward the front of the Bridge.

I did my best to ignore the drama that was occurring in front of me as I bent my head back to my work. Keyop sighed reluctantly, attempting to follow my example but in truth being far more occupied with what was happening on the main viewscreen. The analyses seemed to rise out of my monitor to overwhelm me, taunting me with my inability to find a solution.

"I can do this." I muttered angrily to myself.

First, I used Jason's discovery to scan the ships outside the Phoenix. Based on what I could see of the viewscreen, it appeared as if it worked just as Jason had said. The ships were appearing at the correct places whenever the Phoenix turned. Thus having confirmed the validity of Jason's method, I then went through his data on the use of diurian frequency BH-712. After some study, it was clear that the Spectran ships were making use of that frequency, or something very close to it, which explained why they appeared to 'glow' when viewed under Jason's filtering sequence.

"Why… so round?" Keyop asked.

"Round?" I glanced over at him, confused. He was hanging over my shoulder, looking at the data on my screen.

"Ships… glow round…" Keyop pointed out, tracing something on my display with his finger. I zoomed in and immediately saw what he meant. The glowing shapes on my display were definitely smooth ovals. In fact, while they were situated in the same places as the Spectran ships, the glowing shapes didn't resemble them in the slightest. My display made it appear as if we were being attacked by a bunch of spheres and eggs, while the reality was anything but.

Why would the shapes be so different? Perhaps… they were using energy fields? Stealth fields? This wasn't what I had expected at all. The diurian sigma radiation being used was created by the combination of sigma radiation and diurian fields. I had assumed that the radiation was coming from the metal compounds used in building the ships. But that would cause the glowing shapes on my display to look more like _ships_ instead of eggs… Such a smooth, rounded surface would have to come from a _projected_ field, not from the physical materials themselves. And therein lay the problem.

In order to create such a sustainable diurian field, sigma radiation would need to be present inside the field. And while it was entirely possible that each ship could individually carry a 'radiation producer' internally, sending the radiation outward to encompass the ship, such a thing would be highly dangerous to the occupants onboard. Sigma radiation was highly mutagenic, causing serious health problems, even death, in as little as thirty-six hours of exposure.

Zoltar was knowingly irradiating his own troops? Had Spectra developed some kind of vaccine, or even a cure, for such enduring such harsh conditions? Or could it be that the Spectran Leader simply didn't care?

"Commander!" I shouted, suddenly realizing what was at stake. "Those Spectran ships! I believe they have high levels of sigma radiation onboard!"

"What?" Mark's jaw fell to the floor. "On the individual ships? But that's highly toxic! Surely Zoltar wouldn't risk his men…"

"I can't answer that, Commander, but it fits with what Keyop noticed about the shape of the diurian fields. If that radiation is onboard, then every time we destroy one of them with a conventional missile…"

"We spread radiation over the Earth." Mark muttered grimly. "Understood, Princess. Jason, stop firing. We're going to attempt to lure these ships into the desert area twenty kilometers north of here before we destroy any more of them. Tiny, get on it! In the meantime, Keyop, contact Galaxy Security and inform them of Princess' hypothesis. They need to let the Rigans know, and to send out emergency cleanup squads to deal with any fallout in the combat areas."

"Roger, Commander!" Keyop replied.

"This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" Jason grimaced.

"We just have to get through it, that's all." Tiny offered optimistically. But the remark fell flat and no one responded.

"Princess, keep working on this." Mark ordered. "We _have_ to find some way to neutralize the Spectrans' stealth technology!"

"I'll do my best, Commander." I answered in a weary voice.

It was now even more difficult to concentrate, but I knew I had no choice. Shaken, I returned to the big problem at hand. Even assuming that the radiation was being created inside of the ships, I was left with one other question. Where was the diurian field coming from? Being an inverse field, it had to be present both inside and outside the radiation, in order to combine with it. Clearly there was no field generator on the outside hulls of the ships, as even that small amount of exposed metal would be detected by our sensors.

I had originally assumed that the generator was inside the ships, with the radiation coming from metallic materials in the hull plating composition. Now understanding that the radiation was likely _inside_ the ships, everything had been thrown out of whack. As far as I knew, it wasn't possible to generate a stable diruian field, except in the most sterile of environments… and that certainly didn't include the creation of heavy sigma radiation! So then the generator couldn't be inside the ship either! Of course, it was possible Zoltar had discovered something to get around these issues, but I doubted it. Federation scientists had spent decades analyzing diurian fields before eventually abandoning the technology as impractical.

The answer was staring me in the face, I just _knew_ it. If only I could see it for what it was. It was as if the solution was as invisible as the Spectran ships were to conventional scanners. All I had to do was uncover it, determine its source…

_Its source…_

The source of the diurian field wasn't on the hulls of the ships. It couldn't be inside the ships. So it had to be… elsewhere. But where?

My fingers flew across the controls, working out the mathematical calculations for the crazy idea that had just popped into my head. No… it _couldn't_ be…

But as I stared at the results of my analysis, the math said it was. At least… it was _possible_. And since I couldn't come up with anything else, right now it was all I had to go on.

"Commander?" I offered, wincing as I saw Jason targeting numerous Spectran ships over the desert. At least that particular tactic had worked.

"Hold on, Princess!" Mark snapped, so sharply that I knew things weren't going well at all. It was rare that the Commander's calm slipped, and to do so now was the worst of signs.

"There are too many of them!" Jason complained, slamming his fist down on the panel. "I could take them all out, but we have don't have enough time… or enough ammunition."

"Only four TBX missiles left." Tiny reported glumly.

"Need to… take out… fast!" Keyop offered.

"The only way to do that is with another Fiery Phoenix." Mark sighed, his shoulders sagging. "It seems to be the only thing that works."

"Plus it has the added bonus that the high temperatures would break down the radiation, neutralizing it so that there's no fallout below." Jason pointed out.

"Do it…" Keyop sighed. My face fell. I didn't know if I could physically take another round of such punishment. Mark glanced over at me, and I could see instantly that he was thinking the same thing.

"We should do whatever we need to do." I said, mustering as much strength as possible into my voice. "We're G-Force. We do what it takes." Inside I was crying with the anticipation of going through that horrific experience once more, yet at the same time my heart knew that it was the right thing.

"Princess, I can't…" Mark's voice broke as he looked first at me, and then at the others. His eyes shifted, and an expression of grim resolve crossed his face.

"I can't let any of you do something I'm not prepared to do myself." Mark said slowly. "I know it's been rough today, but we're making progress. We're saving lives. And we have to keep on saving lives."

"We're with you, Commander." Jason said gruffly, laying a hand on Mark's shoulder.

"All the way!" Tiny added, with as much of a grin as he could muster.

"G-Force!" Keyop cheered weakly.

"I'm in." I added. "I always have been, Mark."

"Okay." the Commander nodded. "Tiny, get ready for Fiery Phoenix. Keyop, you're up front." He sat down beside me, the worry clear in his deep blue eyes.

"I'll make it through, Mark." I whispered to him. "If anyone can get me through it, you can."

"There's no point making it through without you, Princess." he smiled softly.

Mark took my hand, and I steeled myself, waiting for the Fiery Phoenix to take over my being. I didn't have to wait long. Tiny initiated the procedure as soon as we were all seated, sending us all hurtling into the backs of our seats as we took off at top speed. The searing heat crashed into me with enough force to break every bone in my body. My muscles ached like fire, cramping up into hard knots that would make a sailor proud. Dimly, I felt Mark's hand in mine, and I grabbed desperately for the lifeline he offered. But it was slipping through my grasp, even as I clutched at him, and then it was gone.

I was falling, but rather than a soft rush of air, it was an agony of excruciating burning, as if I was passing through flaming acid, my skin dissolving underneath its deadly touch. A hellish blaze opened up below me and I fought to draw breath, gasping for sulfurous air that only set a torch to the delicate tissue of my lungs.

"Mark!" I cried, although I knew it was futile. I was lost, and this was the end…

Yet amazingly, something did emerge through the scorching waves, drawing me closer, pulling me ever so slightly to the surface.

"Princess, come back!"

He was shouting, but I barely heard him. Yet I sensed the pull, and responded automatically. I realized that it was in my mind, coming through my cerebonics, a cool wave if icy water to soothe my charred form.

"Mark..." 

The coolness strengthened, and the burning lessened to a dull agony, one that seemed mild in comparison to what I had just experienced. I could hear Mark's voice again, and this time I added my own to his.

"Keyop! Jason!"

The four of us joined together, our implants strengthening us, creating a bubble of protection around our minds even as our bodies endured the worst nightmare of all. As a group we reached out, stretching toward Tiny, encasing him with us in our globe of relative safety. I could feel everyone's mind touching on mine, and in that instant I saw them all, their feelings and thoughts exposed and laid bare. I felt Jason's hatred for Zoltar, Keyop's struggle to fight, Tiny's cheerful optimism, and Mark's love.

His love for me.

No secrets now; we were all together. Our consciousnesses were enmeshed through our cerebonics, my mind responding to the others, my love for all of them washing over us like a tide. And at the center of that love was Mark, my reason for living.

A great rush passed through me: a sound, echoing outward. A roar had come from Jason, resonating through all of us. It was a howl of outrage, of defiance. He was angry; no, he was furious. His shout was one of determination, to see this through, to prevail over whatever obstacles were thrown in our way. One by one, we joined him, our voices rising in a cacophony of concord, our strength surging to the surface as together we faced the excruciating ordeal of our ultimate weapon.

We howled until the orange-red light faded into a cool, silvery blue. The strain began to lift, yet the sound of our unity faded slowly, lingering in my ears until it became a soft whisper. As one, we had endured.

And as one, we fell into sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Princess!"

The sound was coming from far away. I didn't want to go. Here it was soft and dark, comforting and warm. I didn't want to return to the reality of an aching body and fiery pain.

"Princess, use your energy reserve!"

Energy reserve… my mind grasped at that, remembering this particular facet of our cerebonics. This was a procedure that was only to be used for dire emergencies, to sustain and heal us for up to twenty-four hours. Yet once its effects had passed, we would fall into coma-like states, unable to move or speak for days. There had been a few times I had contemplated activating my energy reserve while I had been imprisoned on Spectra, yet I had never done so. Energy reserves were only for the most desperate of situations, when there was no other possible alternative.

It was the only thing we could do now.

Though I had never actually initiated the procedure, I had been taught how to do so. I activated the reserve and instantly felt its effects: exhaustion and weakness falling away from me as a snake would shed its skin. A new me emerged: a woman of confidence, vigor and power.

A woman who could do anything.

I opened my eyes, only to see Mark's vivid gaze locked upon mine. His face showed instant relief to see me recovered, and he offered me a hand to rise.

"Good to see you on the other side, Commander."

"I was worried that you wouldn't make it here." he admitted, a sheepish expression crossing his face for the briefest of instants. "But now that you have, we're fighting the clock."

"Understood." I nodded curtly. We truly had no idea how long our reserves would last, since as far as I knew, none of us had ever before initiated this procedure.

"Help Keyop." Mark instructed. "I'll take care of Jason and Tiny."

"Roger!"

I ran over to Keyop's unconscious form, which was slumped over his control panel. I managed to rouse him and get him to activate his own energy reserve, by which time Jason had recovered and Mark was assisting Tiny.

"So what now?" Jason asked, noting that the few remaining Spectran ships in the area were quickly fleeing the site.

"Keep… fighting…" Keyop suggested.

"Make sure there are no more Spectrans hanging about our planet!" Tiny thumped his fist into his other hand.

"Commander!" I suddenly remembered what had happened right before we had initiated the most recent bout of Fiery Phoenix. "I discovered something important!"

"What is it, Princess?" Mark asked, coming over to my station to look at my display as I gestured to it.

"I think I know what's initiating the diurian fields." I told him. "And _where_."

"Where?" Jason appeared confused. "Where on the ships?"

"No, it's not on the ships!" I revealed. "Look, Commander! The Spectran warcraft have egg-shaped bubbles around them when we run them through Jason's filtering process. This means that they're creating the sigma radiation from inside the ships. That would interfere with generation of a diurian field, so that field isn't generated from inside the ships. And it's not generated on their hulls either, or we'd be able to detect the small portion of the generators that wasn't covered by both the field and the radiation."

"So the field generator isn't _in_ the ships or _on_ the ships…" Mark said, his eyes lighting up with understanding. "That means it's _off_ the ships…"

"Exactly!" I grinned broadly. "And look what I found when I ran through Jason's scans!" Everyone except Tiny crowded around my station, looking at my discovery.

A huge glowing sphere sat over the site of our battle: our current position. It hung in the lower atmosphere, capable of monitoring nearly half the planet.

"What is that?" Jason's face was filled with a mixture of awe and determination.

"I think that's the field generator." I replied. "Whatever it is, it's large enough to house both a sigma radiation generator and a dirurian field generator. A generator so large, it could cover thousands of square kilometers."

"One massive ship, creating the stealth field for all of the smaller ones." the Commander nodded in agreement. "And if we take it out…"

"Everyone can see those Spectran ships." Jason finished for him. "Let's do it!"

"We've only got four TBX missiles left." Mark reminded him. "Will that cover it?"

"It'll have to." Jason shrugged casually, his eyes narrowing as he contemplated the task ahead of him. "Just get me into view. We'll figure out its weak point."

"Let's go, Tiny!" Mark ordered.

"10-4!" the pilot cheered, his good humor completely returned.

The Phoenix's nose shot upward as we zoomed into the sky, heading toward the massive Spectran spacecraft that was causing such havoc on our planet. I followed it on my sensors, using Jason's filter, noting that it was now moving away.

"I don't think they realize that we can see them, Commander." I reported. "It's moving away, but not very quickly. It looks like it just wants to get out of our path."

"Maybe… just slow?" Keyop suggested.

"That's possible as well, Keyop." Mark's forehead furrowed. "When we first discovered the Spectran presence in Federation space, the entire armada was moving slowly, likely to accommodate their slowest ship. But maybe the slowest ship isn't the smallest one…"

"They'd need a huge amount of sigma radiation onboard to cover that thing." Jason pointed out. "Maybe they're afraid that moving too fast might cause some sort of nuclear reaction?"

"Whatever the reason, let's not let on that we know _exactly_ where it is." Mark decided. "Tiny, come around, making it look like we only have a general idea, not a specific location."

"You got it, Commander!"

It seemed to take forever to approach the Spectran craft, especially circling around as we were. The entire journey I watched the ship, my eyes glued to my monitor. So far the Spectrans were still moving slowly, but did not appear to have a destination in mind. It seemed that they were moving in response to our position. I passed this on to the Commander, who continued to direct Tiny around. After a long while Mark rose to his feet, excitement shining in his eyes.

"We should be able to see it at the edge of the viewscreen now." he told us. "Capture the image, then move back out of sight, Tiny, like we missed it. Princess, magnify that shot!"

Sure enough, as I zoomed in on the tiny section of display, I found the Spectran craft. It had a hemispherical shape… no! I realized as I stared that it dipped inside, shaping it like an upside-down bowl.

"Well I'll be! A giant satellite dish!" Tiny exclaimed.

"I think that pretty much confirms Princess' theory." Jason grimaced. "It's broadcasting _something_ to Earth. Chances are pretty good that it's that diurian field."

"Okay, everyone, do you see any weak spots?" Mark asked.

"On top!" Keyop suggested.

"Underneath?" I thought out loud.

"I was thinking the same thing." Jason admitted. "They'd think it was the most protected, but it could be a real chink in the armor."

"You're forgetting something." Mark reminded us. "That underside is pointed at the Earth. They're not going to leave a weak spot out in the open like that. I'm with Keyop. I think it's on top."

"But where?" I asked, confused. My eyes scanned over the magnified image, searching for something.

"There." Mark said confidently, stretching out his arm to point at the viewscreen. "See that series of reflective panels?"

"Looks like… windows?" Keyop asked.

"Solar panels?" I guessed.

"Maybe both." J proposed.

"Either way, it's got to be weaker than whatever metal that ship is constructed from." Mark replied. "And if we can hit at the center joint, where all of those panels connect…"

"One good crack and it will all come crashing in." Jason nodded. "I like it, Commander!"

"Then let's get to it, Jason!" Mark grinned. "No wasting those missiles!"

"They'll be put to good use." Jason assured him.

The rest of us sat quietly, doing our best to reign in our nervousness as we watched helplessly. It was all up to Jason, now.

"Now, Tiny!" Mark ordered, and the pilot pulled on the control levers, bringing the ship around in such a way as to approach the ship from above. Jason stood at the front of the Bridge, his stance steady but fluid, ready to move at an instant's notice. I gripped my chair, the energy reserve coursing through my body, chafing against my forced inactivity.

Without warning, Jason rapidly depressed the firing button twice. My eyes were glued to the main viewscreen as I watched the two missiles, one after the other, streaking toward the Spectran ship. They both hit right on target, splintering the numerous panels at their critical junction.

"Hit!" Keyop crowed as Tiny came around the Spectran vessel.

"Not enough." Mark shook his head. "It's still in action. And now it's firing!"

We shifted position as Tiny deftly evaded the incoming fire. But the Spectran ship didn't let up with one volley. It was fighting for its life, and it let us have everything on its plate.

"Commander!" I gasped as I saw an incoming missile on my scanners. No matter how many projectiles Tiny avoided, he wasn't going to be able to evade them all. The Phoenix jerked sharply as the impact was made.

"There's some damage to the port wing pod." I reported. "I've sealed off the area and initiated the fire suppression systems."

"Let's not do that again." Jason grumbled.

"I'm doing my best here!" Tiny shot back, just as the Phoenix rolled to avoid another attack. Jason had to grab onto Mark's chair to keep himself from tumbling to the floor.

"Tiny, you…!"

"Jason, focus on your next shot!" Mark ordered. "It might be the last one we get!" Jason's response was a dark glare directed toward the Commander, but he resumed his position at the weapons panel.

"Come around again, Tiny, when you can." Mark instructed.

"Just a few seconds…" Tiny groaned with the stress of pulling the Phoenix's nose up and away from incoming fire.

"Gotcha!" Jason growled, depressing the firing button one more time. The TBX flew through the air as a silvery blur, passing through the hail of enemy fire and straight inside the ship, until it was out of sight. We all stood up, our eyes straining to see…

Two agonizing seconds later, a gout of flame erupted from the center of the ship, followed by billowing clouds of inky black smoke. Before our astonished eyes, the ship almost seemed to implode, falling in on itself before spraying outward in a burst of fiery debris that burned its way through the atmosphere.

"I guess that missile hit the spot!" Tiny's jaw was on the floor.

"Am I good, or what?" Jason dusted off his hands with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"What!" Keyop chirped, and we all had to laugh in response. We were laughing in relief, glad that this nightmare was finally over, immensely grateful that we had been able to successfully overcome this horrifying day. My gaze drifted over to Mark, pleased to see the stress and tension melting away from his body, his face bright with amusement. He glanced over, his eyes catching mine upon him and he smiled again, drawing me into his happiness. My cheeks reddened and he grinned even more widely, before winking in my direction. My knees suddenly gave way, and I had to grip my control panel for support as a rush of warmth passed through me.

Slowly we all returned to our stations, ready to complete our mission.

"What about the Spectran ships still close to Earth's surface?" the Commander wanted to know. "Can we see them now with regular radar?"

"Confirmed. I can see them with standard scanning processes." I answered quietly, my face still slightly flushed by the memory of Mark's earlier behavior. "There are only a few left, and they look like they're making a run for it. But I'll keep an eye on them."

"Good. Jason, can you get scans of Rigan space? Use your filter to check for a similar Spectran ship there." the Commander instructed.

"I'm on it!" Jason eagerly went to work.

"Keyop, I need you to go down to the port wing pod and check the damage. See if anything else needs to be done before we get back to Center Neptune." Mark ordered.

"10-4!" Keyop cried, leaping to his feet.

"Tiny, circle the area and keep a watch on what's left of that thing." the Commander pointed to the burning remains of the once-massive Spectran ship. "We don't want it 'evolving' on us or dumping radioactive waste into our atmosphere."

"Roger!" Tiny agreed, changing the Phoenix's flight path into a circular orbit of the Spectran craft's remains while Mark turned to the communications station and began reporting to Chief Anderson. Everything was suddenly back to normal; we were all performing our usual tasks. It was amazing how wonderful it was for everything to simply be routine again.

"I found it, Commander!" Jason reported. "Same size, hovering over Riga."

"Send the coordinates to Colonel Tsubar." Mark instructed. "That thing can't move fast enough to avoid being seen if the Rigans go there immediately. Let the Red Rangers know about its weak point. Once that thing is destroyed, they'll be able to see any incoming ships." Jason initiated a transmission and I heard him speaking in a low voice with the Colonel. Keyop returned to the Bridge, reporting that for now the fire was out and there was no further damage. The safety force fields in the port wing pod were holding.

"But… Galacticyle damaged…" he said sadly, his face downcast.

"I'm sure the engineers at Center Neptune have seen worse." I assured Keyop. "Don't worry about it."

I returned to my task of focusing on the remaining Spectran ships. We had destroyed the biggest robots and warships; the few that were left were all fighter jets and other small craft. They were definitely leaving the planet… or were they? It appeared that they were all headed to the same place on the other side of the globe. A rendezvous point? Hurriedly I accessed the closest GalSec satellites to scan the area.

Nothing was there.

My breath caught in my throat as I realized what had just happened. Those Spectran ships had suddenly disappeared.

They had re-entered stealth mode.

"Commander, we need to get to the other side of the Earth." I cried. "I think there's another one!"

"Another one?" Mark frowned. "Another robot?"

"No… another massive ship… another diurian generator." Quickly I explained my reasoning. "The one we destroyed could cover about half the planet… doesn't it make sense that they'd have one on the other side of the planet as well?"

"Too much sense." Mark growled, and I could see the fatigue seeping back into his face. "Tiny, out into orbit. We need to get in range of that other thing as quickly as we can."

"We'll be a little slow with the wing pod damaged." Tiny pointed out. "I'll have to compensate."

"Just do whatever it is you need to do." Mark said curtly.

The air on the Bridge was grim once more. Just a few moments ago we had been overwhelmed with joy and relief, and now we were facing certain doom all over again. No one mentioned that we were down to just one remaining TBX missile, and that it had taken three to destroy the other spacecraft.

"Commander, I found another one at Riga." Jason stated grimly. "I'll contact the Colonel again." Mark only nodded, clearly worried about how we would deal with this latest threat.

My heart sank as we rounded the Earth, enabling me to use Jason's filter to scan the other side of the planet. Another massive sphere was parked over South America, at the same point in the upper atmosphere. A small part of me had been hoping that I was wrong, but now that I knew we weren't, we all had to accept the dreadful reality that our day wasn't over yet. Quietly, I informed the Commander of my latest discovery.

"Tiny, can we stop at Center Neptune?" Mark asked. "Restock with TBX missiles?"

"That procedure takes at least a couple of hours." Tiny grimaced.

"Keyop, contact Zark. Confirm how many TBX missiles there are at Neptune and how long it would take to restock us." Mark ordered, his expression hopeful.

"Commander, more ships are coming!" Jason altered us to the glowing blips on his screen. "None of the individual craft are huge, but it's a large fleet just the same. At the speed they're traveling, they'll be at Earth in less than ninety minutes."

"Where are they now?" Mark asked.

"Just passing Riga. That's why I spotted them." Jason replied.

"Then they're moving faster than the previous ships." Mark calculated.

"They're not in stealth mode." Jason answered. "So they're not slowed down by those big spacecraft that initiate the diurian fields."

"They're heading for Earth to shelter under the one that's here!" I surmised.

"We have to take that thing out as quickly as possible." Mark resolved. "There's no time to go back to Center Neptune. Tiny, head straight for that thing."

"What's your plan, Commander?" Jason's expression revealed nothing, but his voice gave away his nervousness.

"We don't have enough missiles to destroy it from the outside," Mark said, "so we'll destroy it from the inside. Princess and I will go aboard and do what's necessary. Right now, that's our best option. Tiny, you'll drop us off as soon as we're in range to do so. Jason, you'll be in charge here. Hold onto that thing's attention for as long as you can. And hold onto that missile as well. I may need you to fire it, depending on how successful Princess and I are on our end. Keyop, stand ready to come out and retrieve us with the Space Buggy, if necessary."

"G-Force!"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Tiny did his best, but it was still nearly an hour before Mark and I stood on the hull of the Phoenix, ready to jump. The clear dome surrounding us retracted and we leapt into the air, streaking down toward the gigantic Spectran ship below us. While we had been flying to the other side of the Earth, Mark and I had studied images of the previous ship, looking for an entrance. We had found a hatch approximately one third of the way down from the tip of the hemisphere and we were praying that this other ship would be similarly constructed.

Relief flooded through me as I saw an identical hatch on this second ship. I pointed toward it and Mark nodded before adjusting his angle of flight to come in more steeply. The wind whipped in my face as I copied his movements, my velocity rising to match his. It was difficult to control my descent when moving this fast, but I also understood that time was of the essence.

The hatch was getting closer and I shifted to approach it more slowly, but a sudden change in air currents caught me off guard and I found myself drifting off course. Mark followed, whether because he was caught in the same current or because he was worried about me, I couldn't tell.

Regardless, both of our bodies slammed into the side of the hemisphere far above the hatch. The hull of the spacecraft was more slick than I had expected, and we scrabbled unsuccessfully for purchase on its glossy silver surface. We slid down the side of the ship, quickly picking up speed, within seconds of careening off the side of the Spectran craft and plunging down to the Earth below.

Instinctively I reached for my yo-yo, throwing it upward toward the tip of the hemisphere. My weapon gripped the hull and I came to an abrupt stop, my arm nearly yanking out of its socket. My body lurched again when Mark grabbed onto me as he passed by, his arms wrapping themselves tightly around my waist.

"Good thinking." he complimented me briefly, before turning back to business. "Where's the hatch?"

It was difficult to concentrate with Mark's arms around me, the blood pounding through my veins and adrenaline amplifying my physical response to his close proximity. Yet somehow I managed to pull my mind away and focus on the mission at hand.

"Approximately six meters above us and four meters to the right." I judged, eyeballing the distance. "Hold on." Slowly I began retracting my yo-yo cord, raising us approximately five meters. I shifted my body and Mark accommodated me, instantly understanding what I intended. We swayed slightly, then more, building up momentum as we swung back and forth. After a minute or so we were close enough, and Mark released me, leaping forth to grab at the hatch's door handle. With his free hand he pulled out his boomerang, working it at the door's edge, until suddenly the portal popped open.

The Commander quickly scrambled inside, and then I swung over once more. He caught my arm, helping me enter the spacecraft. I retracted my weapon and we sealed the door behind us.

"I'm hoping that was the hard part." I muttered to myself, my heart still beating faster than a hummingbird's. I was so relieved just to be inside the ship that it took me a moment to realize where we were. It was a small chamber, filled with tools and repair scanners: a maintenance room! I grinned widely as I realized the extent of our luck.

Immediately I rose to my feet, moving over to the repair console. Being a maintenance system, the security protocols were easy to hack, yet the records included exactly what I was looking for: a detailed layout of this vessel.

"Commander, the diurian field generator is three levels up, at the center of the ship." I pointed to the diagram I was analyzing as Mark came over to stand behind me. "And it looks like there's a venting shaft a few meters away, leading to the exterior of the ship. We can set our explosives and then make a quick getaway!"

"Sounds like a good plan." Mark smiled at me as I turned to look at him, his fingers reaching up to graze my cheek. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Princess."

"You survived well enough without me for eight months." I whispered, my heart suddenly beating faster.

"Not _well_… not well at all." Mark replied, his eyes locked with mine. "I only survived because I knew I had to rescue you. I _had_ to see you again."

"You were what got me through as well." I told him. "When I thought of you, I had the strength to go on. I knew I had to return… to you…"

"Princess…" his voice was husky, and it caught in his throat.

"When you were there, on Spectra, holding me, rescuing me… I thought I had died." I revealed, suddenly eager to tell him the most intimate secrets of my heart. "I was in this haze of pain, and then I saw your face… it was all I had wanted. I knew I had to be in Heaven. And I died at peace."

"But you didn't die." Mark reminded me.

"No, I didn't. And for that, I am eternally grateful." I broke his gaze to throw my arms around his neck, laying my cheek against his chest. His arms embraced me, pulling my body tightly against his for a long moment.

"I'd like to continue this conversation, but I guess it isn't the time or place." He smiled ruefully.

"I'm going to hold you to that, Commander." I whispered coyly.

"I was hoping you would."

He led me to the door, opening it carefully and glancing out into the hallway. There was a yelp of surprise, but it wasn't the Commander's voice. I heard the sonic hiss of Mark's boomerang even as I drew my yo-yo.

Mark leapt out into the brightly lit corridor and I followed, striking out at the green-uniformed men in front of me. There were already three unmoving bodies on the ground, and two more Spectran soldiers stood before me, mouths agape. I threw out my weapon, smacking one in the face even as I drop-kicked the other one underneath his jaw.

I whirled, only to see Mark standing amidst three more downed guards.

"All quiet now," he said, "but we'd better get out of here before anyone comes looking for them. It won't be long before an alarm is raised."

"This way." I pointed, recalling the layout of the ship from the files I had seen. "There's an elevator over here." Mentally I suppressed a shudder. Since being held in a detention cell deep underground Spectran Military Headquarters, I had developed a distinct dislike for elevators. I recalled the intense feelings of helplessness I had experienced, being crammed into that tiny little box. Even worse had been one of my escape attempts, when I had been forced to climb up the inside of the shaft, knowing that Zoltar's men were waiting for me at the top.

Unfortunately, elevators seemed to be the only way to get around most Spectran bases. Inexplicably, there were never any stairs. For some reason even soldiers, whom I presumed were supposed to be in good physical condition, weren't supposed to climb up and down steps, even in the case of emergency.

Luckily, we were able to pass through the elevator and up the three levels without incident. But as we approached the door to the room that was supposed to contain the diurian generator, we noticed that it was ajar. The murmuring sound of many voices mixed together drifted through, and it was clear that there were a number of people on the other side. Mark snuck up to the door for the briefest of moments, visually assessing out the situation.

"There's a massive machine in the center of the room, which looks like our diurian field generator," he reported, "but there are at least three dozen men in that room. Most of them are soldiers, but a couple appear to be scientists running the field equipment."

"They know it's their weak point." I grimaced. "They're guarding it with enough men that someone will be able to raise an alarm. Not to mention that it will take too long for us to deal with that many Spectrans. We're running out of time. They're going to realize we're onboard shortly, when those other men are located."

"We'll just have to get the guards out of there." the Commander decided.

"And how do you propose to do that?"

"By setting off the alarm, naturally." Mark replied. My jaw dropped open and he grinned widely, pulling me aside to a small alcove where we could likely remain unnoticed for a few moments.

"Jason, come in."

"I read you, Commander." Jason's voice came through Mark's wrist.

"That last missile… I need you to target it in the same place. At the top of the vessel, in the intersection of all of those panels."

"Okay. Just let me know when you're off the ship…"

"We're not getting off the ship." Mark didn't let him finish his thought.

"What?" Jason's surprise echoed my own.

"We saw what our missiles did to the other ship. Even two weren't enough to crack the panels. One missile here won't break through either."

"But it _will_ make quite a distraction." I nodded, seeing where Mark was going with this.

"If you're certain, Commander." Jason sounded slightly reassured, but still somewhat uneasy.

"We're certain." Mark said. "Do it. That's an order, Jason. And be ready to pick us up in a few minutes."

"10-4, Commander. Over and out." The red light on Mark's arm blinked off.

"Now we wait for the fun to begin." Mark smirked.

Sure enough, thirty seconds later, the entire spacecraft shook sharply, and cries of distress were immediately heard from inside the generator chamber. An alarm began whooping, red lights flashing along the walls.

"All guards at entry posts! Unassigned personnel to the Bridge!" a stern voice intoned over a communications system. Immediately, dozens of Spectran soldiers came rushing out into the corridor, shouting and heading for the elevators. The moment they were gone, we rounded the corner once more.

"Now or never." Mark said, gesturing me toward the door. "Ladies first."

"You're so generous, Commander." I murmured, stepping forward. I drew my weapon, readying it for action.

The moment I stepped through the door I launched my yo-yo, knocking out a man in a lab coat. The sound of footsteps came from my right, and I turned to see Mark moving to take on another nine opponents, two of whom were in lab coats, similar to the man I had just taken down.

"Get going, Princess!" Mark ordered, throwing out his boomerang at his adversaries. "I'll take care of this."

"Got it!"

I raced toward the diurian field generator, pulling out the explosives I carried. I began wiring them into the various panels in the massive machine, but the device was of such a large scale that I had to repeat the procedure this in multiple locations. I worked as quickly as possible, desperate to know how Mark was doing.

But it seemed that the Commander was doing just fine. I heard the sound of his boomerang, and the distinctive sonic thwack of it hitting its target. The sound of laser fire echoed around me; apparently the laser bullets were ricocheting on the metallic walls. Cracks and groans filled the air as the field generator took the brunt of the Spectran offensive.

I was just finishing the last of my wiring when I heard the screech of metal.

"Die, G-Force!" a man's voice shouted, quickly followed by a grunt and a thud.

"Princess, I…"

Mark's voice was cut off by a thunderous crash that resonated right through me. Horrified, I rushed to the scene, only to find the Commander's body crushed beneath a fallen metal support beam.

"Commander!" I cried, running over to him. In the back of my mind, I noted seven Spectran bodies scattered around the area, on the floor, and another two who had also been caught beneath the falling beam. Their bodies were bent at unnatural angles, but I didn't care about them. My only concern was for Mark.

"I'll be okay." he groaned, but his face had drained of all color. I realized that his legs were caught underneath the beam. He struggled to sit, but had difficulty rising.

"I'll get it." I told him, my voice wavering despite the outward calm I was attempting to project. I slid my yo-yo along the floor, next to Mark's body, looping it around the beam. Quickly, I flew up to the top of the generator, then began retracting the cord. Using the makeshift pulley and adding in my cerebonically-enhanced strength, I was able to pull it up a few centimeters. Sweat beaded my brow, and my muscles ached with the effort.

"Commander… can you…?" I grunted sharply.

"Yes… that's good." Mark was clearly struggling to speak, but I saw him use his arms to slide back along the floor, out of the beam's path. After a few excruciating seconds, he was free. Slowly, I released my hold, lowering the beam back to the floor.

"I'll set the timer and we can get out of here." I said, gliding down to meet him. Yet Mark was still struggling; it appeared that he was unable to get up.

"It's my knee…" he groaned, his face contorted in pain. "I think it's broken."

I looked down at his right leg, assessing the damage with a professional distance that belied my inner emotional turmoil. The leg was twisted, the knee badly swollen. As Mark had surmised, it was likely broken, with torn ligaments and muscles to boot.

"Hold on, Commander." I told him. "I'll get you out of here." Quickly I looked around for what I needed. Seeing a long lever on one of the consoles, I threw out my yo-yo, sending a small charge down the line. There was a crackling burst, and the long lever fell free, clattering to the floor. I grabbed it, then knelt down next to the nearest Spectran soldier. I didn't blink an eye as I yanked off his pants; all that mattered now was getting Mark out of there.

"Stay still, Commander." I told him, using the broken lever as a makeshift splint and tying it as tightly as I could to Mark's leg, with the appropriated pair of pants. "That should be enough for you to glide back to the Phoenix. We can worry about the rest once we're there."

"Thanks, Princess." He tried to smile, but wound up grimacing instead.

"Don't worry, Mark. We'll make it." I promised him.

"Of that, I have no doubt." he assured me, managing a weak smile this time.

Quickly, I found the vent I had earlier noted on the schematics in the maintenance chamber. Borrowing Mark's boomerang, I pried off the cover, then used my yo-yo to blast out the grille at the bottom of the shaft. Bright daylight winked at me from the bottom.

"I'm setting the timer for one minute." I told Mark, as I dragged him over toward the vent. "The shaft is big enough that we can both go down together. It'll hurt, but you should be able to glide downward until we're picked up."

"Sounds like a plan." Mark replied through gritted teeth.

I activated the timer, then pulled Mark up, doing my best not to look at the pain etched on his face. Together, we plunged down headfirst into the vent.

We shot through the shaft and seconds later we were out in the air, the wind whipping in our faces as we plummeted toward the Earth. Instinctively I spread my wings, noting that Mark refused to let go of my right hand even as he copied my movement.

"Jason!" I called into my bracelet. "Pickup! Pronto!"

But as I glanced up over my shoulder, I suddenly realized that a pickup wasn't coming quite yet. Above us, the Phoenix was dodging enemy fire from the Spectran vessel. Without warning, a series of explosions went off in the center of the spacecraft, spreading outward around the ship.

"Looks like I did an adequate job." I mumbled to myself. Relief coursed through me, and with it came exhaustion. Suddenly, it was all I could do to keep myself upright, much less flying and controlling my descent. The ground began rushing up at me, faster and faster, and I struggled to slow down. Beside me, Mark's entire body appeared fatigued, as if all of his energy had drained away.

Energy... our energy reserves were almost depleted! We _had_ to get to safety before we fell unconscious! 

"Jason!" I cried frantically into my bracelet. "Now!"

"We're on our way!" Jason replied, but I could see that it was already too late. We would hit the ground first. The ocean was getting closer and closer every second, yet by some miracle I spotted a sandbar out of the corner of my eye. Gradually I eased closer to it, pulling Mark along. He seemed to be following me instinctively, while struggling for consciousness.

"Just a short while longer, Commander!" I shouted, uncertain if he had heard me.

I fought to stay awake, forcing my arms to continue holding my wings steady, somehow managing to land relatively softly onto a sandy beach. Complete and utter exhaustion reached up to claim me, yet I refused to give in. Gasping for air I rolled over, checking on Mark's condition.

"Commander…" I groaned.

"Princess…. made it…" he smiled groggily, his features softening as his fatigue took over his senses. "Together…"

"Together…" I yawned, laying my head on his chest.

The last thing I remembered was the feeling of Mark's arms wrapped around me.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The moment I awoke, I immediately felt Mark's absence. He was no longer next to me, yet somehow, I knew that he wasn't far. I could sense my implant searching for him, determining that he was close by. I focused on the feeling, and before I was even able to open my eyes, I could sense both distance and direction. A smile curled over my lips. He was sleeping. I'd go to him, and be there when he awoke.

I opened my eyes, realizing that I was in a hospital bed. After a moment, I recognized the room as one in the Center Neptune medical ward. Slowly I got out of the bed, disconnecting myself from the IV drip. I noted the monitors around me, all displaying my vital signs as reported wirelessly by my cerebonics.

My legs felt slightly shaky, as if they hadn't been used in a few days. Yet I managed to stand, shuffling over toward the door, gradually becoming more sure of myself. By the time I was in the corridor, I was able to walk normally. Confidently, I approached the second door on my left, opening it and walking inside.

The room was nearly identical to mine, perhaps slightly larger, yet all that concerned me was Mark. The Commander was lying in a bed, clearly asleep. His right knee bulged somewhat underneath his blanket; it appeared that it was in some kind of cast. Carefully I moved toward him, sitting gently on the side of the bed.

"Mark…" I whispered, tracing my fingers along his cheek. His skin felt warm and smooth beneath my touch, pulsing with life. I smiled softly, my cerebonics humming happily as they registered my close proximity to my Commander.

It was strange, really. Why was my implant suddenly so in tune with Mark's? I had never been able to locate him before, but this time I had barely thought about it. No, that wasn't right. I had thought about it, and that had led me to him. Our cerebonics were constantly changing and evolving: a form of 'self-upgrade' designed to react to our bodies' changing needs and to take advantage of new possibilities. Over the years the G-Force implants had assisted everyone in hearing and seeing more clearly, making better use of adrenaline, and increasing our speed and muscle tone, among other things. Sometimes our cerebonics developed uniquely, such as when Tiny had developed a way to interface directly with the Phoenix, to diagnose a problem quickly and efficiently, or in Keyop's case, as his implant worked to find a way around his speech difficulties.

I suddenly recalled what had happened during our third use of the Fiery Phoenix on our last mission. It had felt as if all five of us were _connected_, somehow. I had known what the others were feeling, but none more so than Mark.

I reached out with my mind, attempting to locate Keyop. I had a vague sense that he was close, but nothing like I had felt with Mark. The same was true for Jason and Tiny: they were here, somewhere, not too far away, but I was unable to pinpoint their locations with the same accuracy as I had for the Commander.

I thought back again to our group connection during the Fiery Phoenix. While the others had been present, only Mark and I had had a _physical_ connection at the time, as our hands had been clasped together. Slowly, I slid my hand from his cheek down his neck, past his shoulder and along his arm, until my fingers were touching his, intertwining together.

"Mark…" I whispered, squeezing his hand lightly. He stirred so briefly that I might not have noticed if I hadn't been looking right at him.

"Mark…" I whispered again, but this time I reached out through my cerebonics, searching for him as I had done before. Immediately my mind locked onto his, some kind of 'click' setting it in place. Carefully, I gave him the slightest nudge, through my implant.

"Princess?" Mark moaned slightly, his eyelids fluttering as they opened. "You're here…"

"I woke up on my own." I explained. "So I had to find you and make sure you were okay."

"I'm okay." he smiled. "Better than okay, since you're here."

"How's your knee?" I asked, worried about his injury.

"My knee?" Mark frowned momentarily as he recalled the final details of our mission. "You splinted it for me… that's the last thing I remember about it." He struggled to a sitting position, flexing his toes.

"Feels okay right now." he shrugged. "I guess my cerebonics are taking care of it."

"Good." I sighed, feeling a rush of relief pass through me. I knew that knee injuries were dangerous and potentially permanent. A damaged knee would impact Mark's physical abilities, which could affect his performance on the G-Force Team.

"You were worried about me." Mark noted.

"I always worry about you, Commander." I blushed deeply.

"You don't have to worry about me." he smiled teasingly. "Although I like it that you do."

"I just want to make sure that you're around for a long time." I told him.

"I'll be around as long as you want me." he promised.

"Then you're never going to leave."

"That was essentially the plan, yes."

"I like that plan."

Our eyes caught and before I knew it his lips were on mine, filling my head with a sweet dizziness that had me swaying. He embraced me, his arms holding me steady so that I could relax and simply enjoy his rain of kisses.

"Ahem."

My eyes flew open and I pulled away from Mark, gasping as I saw Chief Anderson standing in the doorway. He appeared somewhat uncomfortable and wore a disapproving scowl. My cheeks reddened in embarrassment, especially as I realized that I was still in Mark's arms. Strangely, the Commander didn't appear self-conscious at all, simply smiling at the Chief in an indulgent manner.

"Did you want something, Chief?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Princess, you are supposed to be in your room." Chief Anderson lectured, ignoring Mark's question. "When you were nowhere to be found, an alert was raised."

"I'm sorry." I apologized. "I should have realized. But I was concerned about Mark."

"Yes, I can see the evidence of your 'concern'." I looked down at the floor, completely mortified.

"Chief, there's no need for that." Mark said in his 'let's be reasonable' tone. "It's just as Princess says, but after she saw I was fine, I didn't want her to leave. What's wrong with that?" There was a challenging note to his question, and I looked up to see his eyes steadily holding Chief Anderson's gaze.

"Princess should not be leaving her room without medical clearance." the Chief stated.

"You're right, Chief, I apologize." I replied quickly. "I won't do it again. I was just worried about Mark's knee."

"It feels fine." Mark assured me. "So that's the _only_ problem, Chief?"

"Princess needs to return to her own room for follow-up testing." Anderson ordered.

"Right away, Chief." I pulled out of Mark's arms, rising to a standing position. Yet he refused to let my hand go.

"But once that testing is complete, Princess is free to come and go as she pleases." Mark's words were not phrased as a question.

"That's something for later discussion, Commander."

"I don't think there's anything to discuss." Mark insisted.

"Commander, if you're going to force the issue..." The Chief's gaze fell on my hand, which Mark was still refusing to release. "I can see that you are. We will deal with this matter after the briefing."

"What briefing?" I asked, eager to ease the stifling tension.

"Now that you and Mark are awake, we can hold the post-mission briefing." Chief Anderson informed us. "Once both of you conclude your follow-up testing and are cleared by Medical, I'll see you in my office. I'll be expecting you in about an hour."

"We'll see you there." I agreed.

"Let me escort you back to your room, so that you can begin your testing." the Chief said, offering his arm to me. I took it reluctantly as Mark finally let my hand drop from his.

"I'll see you in an hour." he promised.

88888

Exactly sixty minutes later, the entire G-Force Team was assembled in Chief Anderson's office. Everyone appeared refreshed, yet impatient. When Center Neptune had been rebuilt after the Spectran attack that had destroyed half the station, the Chief's office had been expanded. Mark now used this additional space to pace back and forth, his knee apparently causing him no difficulties, while Jason grimaced in frustration as he leaned against the wall. Keyop played nervously with his hands on the sofa next to me, while Tiny lay on a chair with his eyes closed, apparently catching up on some sleep.

The Chief had demanded that we be here in an hour, yet he was late. It was another fifteen minutes before he appeared.

"I apologize for the delay." he said shortly, when he finally entered. "My department is still coordinating the radiation cleanup necessitated by the destruction of the Spectran ships near populated areas. In addition, I am still working with Riga and a number of other planets to assist in rebuilding infrastructures vital to Galaxy Security."

"What kind of infrastructures?" Mark asked curiously.

"Headquarters, refueling bases, that kind of thing." Chief Anderson replied. "But of course the biggest project is replacing the Early Warning Station, now that Pluto has been devastated."

"Did you ever locate Susan?" I asked.

"Susan was destroyed, along with the station." the Chief answered brusquely. "However her data had been backed up only the week before, so we have been able to upload her programming to the temporary space station currently orbiting the planet Neptune. Once we build a permanent station, we'll transfer her information to a new android. I believe 7-Zark-7 is already hard at work on the design for the new robot."

"I'll bet he's hard." Jason snorted, to which Keyop giggled.

"Hey, at least now Zark will now know what Susan looks like." Tiny snickered.

"There are more important things to deal with at the moment." the Chief reminded us. "As you all know, it has been four days since the attack of the Spectran armada."

I nodded. I had been surprised to learn that I had been out that long, but the medical personnel who had run my follow-up tests had said that it was a normal amount of time, given how much physical stress my body had been through, combined with the additional drain caused by the use of my energy reserves. Mark had also been unconscious for four days, while the others had been out for almost twelve hours.

"So far, Spectra has been quiet." the Chief continued. "At first, we assumed that this was simply because they were recovering from the loss of so many ships. It's clear that this offensive had been in the works for some time."

"There were so many spacecraft involved in the attack." the Commander noted. "How many made it back to Spectra?"

"Very few." the Chief smiled grimly. "We estimate fewer than ten percent. Thanks to your discoveries regarding the diurian fields, and the large ships generating those fields, we were able to locate and destroy the majority of the Spectran ships involved in this offensive."

"And none of the big ones made it back." Jason added with a smirk.

"You all went above and beyond the call of duty." Chief Anderson told us. "Performing the Fiery Phoenix three times for such extended periods could easily have killed you all. And you were still able to determine how the Spectrans were sneaking by us."

"We had some help from the defecting soldiers who had been on Rica." I reminded him. "Sergeant Wiltek contacted us through Colonel Tsubar."

"Nonetheless, you all kept cool heads under the most extreme conditions." the Chief replied. "President Kane would like to reward you all the Galactic Medal of Bravery."

"Honor!" Keyop grinned, jumping up in excitement.

"And since Spectra is being quiet, we can attend the ceremony." Tiny added, a big grin spreading across his rotund face.

"Not just yet." the Chief disagreed. "There's been an interesting development. I'd like you all to take a look at this." Chief Anderson pressed a button on his desk and a large screen on the wall behind him lit up with the image of a familiar face.

"This is Tavis Demandro reporting from ten kilometers outside the border check into Spectre City."

My eyes widened in surprise. I knew that Tavis had returned with Fanel's group to Spectra, but I had had no idea that he was broadcasting again. Had he somehow convinced Zoltar to look over his past 'transgressions'? Somehow, I doubted it.

"I am here with the Yellow Flag, fighting to liberate Spectra from the tyranny of the so-called 'Great' Spirit and his puppet leaders, Thalpurnium Zoltar and Mala Latroz." Tavis went on, answering the first of my questions but inspiring a great many more. "I am speaking with Fanel Vandrox, Leader of the Liberation Forces. Fanel, what is your objective today?"

"Our objective is to remove the Spectran military presence from the streets of Spectre City." Fanel declared. "It is unreasonable and unforgiveable that people are unable to go about their daily lives, leave their homes when they choose and associate with anyone they please, without threat of harassment from the government. It is unacceptable that those who have been injured while fighting on behalf of the Spectran Empire, or widows of men who served in the military forces, are left to fend for themselves, unable to work or find support. It is outrageous that citizens of the Empire, of Spectre City, must live on rationed food and resources, all so that our government can inflict its will and poor standard of living on other peoples and planets, while at the same time taking on the burden of their governance." The image flickered from time to time, as if there were some kind of minor interference, yet through it all I could see Fanel's determination in her face, her eyes, her voice. Her words rang out with certainty and truth, as if there was no doubt that her cause was just.

I had never been more proud to call someone my friend.

"That sounds wonderful, Fanel." Tavis replied. "I would love to live in a world such as you envision, as I'm certain our viewers would as well. However that seems a bit much to accomplish for one day."

"You are correct, Tavis." Fanel smiled, her expression warming somewhat. "For today, we will simply be satisfied if we can remove the Spectran military presence from the streets of Spectre City, and from the border checkpoints surrounding the area. This way we can ensure that all resources and supplies that arrive in this district are distributed to the citizens, and not allocated to horrifying waste by the military."

"And what about Thalpurnium Zoltar and Mala Latroz?" Tavis asked, his face the picture of innocence. I had to smother a laugh at his contrived expression, yet I eagerly leaned forward to hear Fanel's answer.

"They are welcome to join the food and resource distribution lines, the same as any other citizen of Spectre City." Fanel smiled invitingly. "They will receive the same allocation as all others. No more, no less."

"So you do not wish to execute them?" Tavis appeared surprised, yet I knew better.

"They, like all of us, are victims of the evil machinations of the alien entity that calls itself the 'Great' Spirit." Fanel responded. "They should be given a fair trial and a chance to explain themselves before the people of Spectra."

"That sounds very reasonable." Tavis noted. "Perhaps more than they deserve."

"Everyone deserves to be treated fairly, Tavis." Fanel replied smoothly. "Even those who can appear to be guilty of great wrongdoing against their own people."

"Truly." Tavis nodded. "I know that many of my viewers today recall the horrifying story of how your husband was wrongfully executed, and how you were incarcerated under deplorable conditions for more than three years. The good people of Spectra sympathize with you, and your noble ideals. How can they assist you in reaching your goals?"

"All I ask is for people to peacefully demonstrate their desire for equality." Fanel said carefully. "If you citizens of Spectre City believe in what I have said, if you agree that Spectra needs to change, then I invite you to stand in the streets, outside your homes and businesses. Do not take up arms against the men of Spectra's military, for they too are victims to command decisions beyond their control. Your presence alone will demonstrate to the government your desire for change, so that they can truly understand the will of the people."

"And what of those who do not agree with your views?" Tavis asked, chuckling slightly, as if to imply that no one would be so unenlightened.

"All I ask is that they remain indoors, out of harm's way, but that they observe, either through their own windows or on your broadcast, what is happening here today." Fanel answered. "They will witness a peaceful exhibition of the will of the Spectran people, as well as the government's response to our demonstration."

"But what if the Spectran military use physical force to prevent you from peacefully moving through the city?" Tavis inquired in a concerned tone.

"It is our greatest hope that there will be no violence today." Fanel declared. "However, if the men of the Spectran military choose poorly and attempt to use physical force against us, we are capable of defending ourselves. But it is not our wish to harm _any_ Spectran, no matter who they are. _Any_ violence exhibited today, and I sincerely hope that there is none, will be both initiated and terminated by the administrative personnel of Spectre City. I urge these decent and righteous men to instead come forth, so that we may openly discuss what needs to be accomplished for the good of the Spectran people." Fanel was aglow with light and hope. Her pure and honest intent was plainly written across her face. It was clear to me that she and Tavis had engineered this entire script, and yet even knowing this, her words still touched me deeply.

"Wow…" Tiny gaped as the video ended and Chief Anderson turned off the monitor. "Is that for real?"

"It's for real." the Chief assured us.

"What was all of that flickering?" Mark asked. "Was there some kind of sunspot activity interfering with the broadcast?"

"There was something interfering with the broadcast, but we suspect it wasn't sunspots." Chief Anderson replied. "A nullifying wave was emanating from the mountains around Spectre City at that exact moment."

"A nullifying wave? That's some serious technology!" Jason commented.

"Sounds like… Zoltar!" Keyop added.

"It's likely that Zoltar didn't want this broadcast sent out." I observed. "It's easy to guess why he might attempt to terminate it. But the real question is, why didn't he succeed?" I looked up at Chief Anderson, surprised to witness a small smirk on his face.

"When Fanel's group left Earth, they were permitted to borrow certain items to improve the health and quality of their lives." the Chief hemmed and hawed in an unusual manner, but it was easy to see that he was ready to burst at the seams. "It's entirely possible that one of those items was a secured broadcast enhancer unit."

"Possible?" Mark questioned, his eyebrow raised in suspicion. "The Federation doesn't keep track of equipment it 'lends' to others?"

"Not if it never intends to reclaim the equipment." Jason snorted.

"A secured broadcaster enhancer unit?" I asked. "I don't suppose that would be a Mark VII unit?"

"It's possible." Chief Anderson's mouth twitched.

"What is it you don't want to admit to us, Chief?" Tiny asked shrewdly.

"I think I know." I offered, as everyone turned to look at me. "A Mark VII unit is extremely powerful. Not only would it have no problems dealing with a nullifying wave, but its range would be enormous."

"The entire planet?" Jason asked.

"Solar system?" Keyop volunteered.

"I'm guessing… the entire Spectran Empire?" I kept my eyes on the Chief, who rewarded my patience with a slight nod.

"So everyone in the Spectran Empire saw that…" Tiny was amazed.

"It certainly helps generate a lot of support for their cause." Mark noted. "And without firing a single shot."

"The Federation always approves of non-violent methods to solve problems." Jason grinned sarcastically.

"Why does it… matter?" Keyop asked. "Other planets… slaves…"

"Even if the other planets of the Spectran Empire are slave planets, the people there are seeing what is happening on Spectra." I explained to him. "They're seeing, perhaps for the first time, that Zoltar is not infallible, and that people can stand up to him… without losing their lives or freedom."

"That's a pretty heady message." Tiny observed.

"And what do you think they're going to do once they've heard that message?" Jason faced the elephant in the room head on. "Are these slaves going to just sit back and take it like they've always done? Or are they going to get it in their heads that they can actually _do_ something about their situation?"

"You mean… revolution?" Tiny asked.

"That's pretty much what's going on already." Mark pointed out.

"Sounds like a pretty neat package to me." Jason noted, a touch of cynicism in his voice. "For the price of a Mark VII broadcast enhancer unit, the Federation gets a Spectran Empire rife with discontented citizens 'expressing' their views. Suddenly Zoltar's got his hands full and not bothering us any longer." He paused for a moment.

"I like it." he nodded, a sly grin crossing his face.

"Zoltar may not have his hands full for long." Mark reminded us. "If the Yellow Flag has their way, he'll be removed from power altogether and put on trial."

"I'm sure you'll forgive me, Commander, if I say that's better than he deserves." I grimaced wryly.

"I thought the Federation wasn't supposed to interfere in the government of other worlds?" Tiny asked, a confused expression on his face. "Isn't part of the Federation mandate to concern itself only with its own affairs, and not to meddle in those of others?"

"These are special circumstances, Tiny." Jason replied, his tone holding only a hint of condescension.

"Yeah!" Keyop agreed. "Spectra… enemy!"

"Don't be so quick to brush him aside, Keyop, Jason." Mark interrupted. "Tiny has a good point. G-Force was created to protect the Federation. But is the Federation worth protecting if it cannot maintain its own standards of ethics?" The Commander's gaze fell on Chief Anderson.

"The Federation has upheld its ideals." the Chief insisted, his demeanor unruffled. "After much discussion with President Kane, we determined that it would be unethical of us to provide Fanel's group with weapons or ammunition. However, as a humanitarian gesture, we were able to provide them with food and other living supplies."

"Including broadcast equipment." Jason snickered.

"They had to have some secure way to communicate with others." the Chief replied blandly. "They were being monitored by the Spectrans and prevented from reaching their comrades."

"If they hadn't had that equipment, Fanel's group would have been isolated when they returned to Spectra." I thought out loud. "On their own, without joining the rest of their people, they would eventually have been hunted down by Zoltar's troops."

"Possibly..." Mark hedged, uncertain as to where I was going with this.

"That wasn't why we fought so hard to escape from the Traitor's Prison." I told him. "Many women died to ensure that the rest of us were able to get away. I personally guaranteed them safety on Earth. I told them that Chief Anderson would speak with them. I guess you're telling me that I was 'interfering' in another planet's affairs. But I _know_ these people, Commander. What I did, enlisting their help, promising aid, was not done lightly. But I did it _in the best interests of the Federation_. While my time on Spectra was not something I would have willingly subjected myself to, I did learn one valuable lesson. On Spectra, there are good people and bad people, just like anywhere else in the universe. I do not find any dishonor in helping those who have good intentions, who are being attacked and suppressed by others for their own gain. I am not ashamed of assisting those women in escaping from the dangerous environment in which they were being held. I am proud to call them my friends, and my friends, no matter _who_ they are, can _always_ count on my support." There was a brief moment of quiet as everyone absorbed my words.

"Very well said, Princess." Chief Anderson offered, breaking the silence. "And I can understand why you feel that way. Speaking with Fanel and Norei, I was very… impressed… with their way of thinking. President Kane did not make the decision to assist them lightly."

"I think what Princess is trying to say is that you always help your friends, no matter what." Jason summarized.

"Hear, hear!" Tiny grinned.

"Personal loyalties are very important." Mark agreed. But the intensity of his gaze told me he was referring to more than mere friendship. I smiled back, relived to see that he understood my way of thinking.

"Chief, how long ago was that broadcast made?" Mark asked, getting back to the matter at hand.

"A little less than two hours ago." Chief Anderson replied. "Shortly before you and Princess awoke."

"I guess you guys recovered right on time for the big event." Tiny joked.

"Two hours ago?" I repeated. "What's been happening since then?"

"Finally, we get to the purpose of this briefing." the Chief smiled thinly. "I've been waiting to show you." He initiated another video, displaying highlights of the Yellow Flag operation.

We witnessed Yellow Flag personnel walking toward the Spectre City checkpoints. For the most part, they were unhindered, and easily took control. In a couple of cases, the guards at the station contacted their superiors, who apparently gave orders to capitulate. Arriving cargo transports were diverted to the city center, rather than the government warehouses at the edge of the urban area.

Inside the city, thousands, perhaps millions of people flooded the streets, peaceful civilians standing outside their homes. Some cheered and waved happily, others simply stood in silence. Fluttering and shadows behind windows indicated that some citizens were remaining inside and quietly observing, yet it was clear that the vast majority of people were present to welcome the Yellow Flag. The members of Fanel's group melted slowly into the crowds, almost invisible among them, save for the yellow armbands they wore. Within an hour, Spectre City was involved in something akin to a giant festival, music and dancing, laughter and conversation blanketing the area.

"Where… troops?" Keyop asked.

"That's a good point, Keyop." Mark agreed. "Last I heard, Spectre City was under some kind of martial law."

"Spectran Military Headquarters is located at the edge of the city." I reminded everyone. "Perhaps they all went there."

"It's certainly a possibility." Jason concurred.

The cargo vehicles had been brought to the central square, and people lined up in an orderly fashion for an allocation of food. There was a party atmosphere, but without the drunkenness and belligerence I had unfortunately witnessed at similar events on Federation planets. Everyone was simply enjoying being together.

"When was the last time the people of Spectre City ate without food rationing?" Tavis' voice broke into the coverage as we watch the scene unfold.

"I last went to the market four tennights ago." an unknown, unseen woman's voice responded. The sound of murmurs and crowds filtered through the background; apparently Tavis was interviewing people on the street.

"The stalls had limited selection." the woman went on, "but there was enough that I could buy what I wanted. Still, it was clear that there were troubles, when I saw all the empty shelves. Shortly after that, rationing began."

"How much food did you receive under the rationing system?" Tavis inquired.

"We were allocated fifteen parles of meat and ten of cheese each tennight, along with fifty parles of bread." a man's voice responded. "No fruits or vegetables. Children received half rations."

"Fifteen parles?" Keyop's forehead furrowed as he did the math in his head. "About… two hundred and fifty grams… not much…"

"No much at all." Tiny grimaced, absentmindedly rubbing his stomach.

"So it's been four tennights since you've been able to eat as much as you wanted?" Tavis asked.

"Uh huh." a child's voice responded. "But Mommy was saving up a packet of sugar for my birthday. Do I still get the sugar now that there's food?" Chuckles of laughter could be heard in the background.

"You'll have to ask your mother, son." Tavis replied, amusement clearly evident in his tone. "But the Yellow Flag wants to make _all_ of the food available for all from now on. No more withholding food so that it can go to the military."

"But then what will the soldiers eat?" the boy asked.

"They'll come home and begin working on farms, along with the Spectrans who already do so." Tavis explained. "With more people working the farms, there will be more food, so there will be enough for everyone."

"Shrewd." Jason commented. "He's explaining it to the kid, but he's _really_ explaining it to the viewing audience."

"Implying that if the people in the Spectran military worked for 'their fair share', there would be enough." Mark added.

"He has a point." Tiny admitted. "Military forces don't contribute to society."

"What about… us?" Keyop thumped his chest indignantly.

"We don't really 'contribute' either, Keyop." I told him. "I would hope that the moment the war ends, that we'll be free to find more meaningful employment."

"We… defend!" Keyop insisted.

"Of course we do, Keyop." Mark replied. "But that's only necessary because we're at war. If the Spectrans were to leave us alone, the Federation could spend far more resources on bettering our lives, rather than fighting off attackers."

"I'm looking forward to that." Jason commented.

"We all are, Jason." Mark smiled.

Chief Anderson had taken the opportunity presented by our conversation to jump forward in the video timeline. When my eyes returned to the monitor, I saw the scene in the Main Square from above: orderly lines for food, people celebrating and eating together. The Main Square was packed.

Yet the area across from the food distributions points was empty. Adjacent to the Main Square, the Administrative Centre was built on and around the side of a single small mountain. A number of windows were clustered together, looking out upon the city below, and with a start I realized that this was the outside of the Hall of Light, where my trial had been held. Then that meant that inside that mountain, and below this ground, lay the vast network of rooms and corridors known as Spectran Military Headquarters. I was lost in thought for a moment, remembering the days I had spent there.

"Look at the palace!" Tiny cried, pointing his finger toward an elaborate building at the very top of the mountain. I peered at the spot he was indicating.

"Well I'll be." Jason smirked. "Looks like old Purple-face decided to join the party after all."

"It's Zoltar all right." Mark agreed. "And he has to know that he can be seen."

"Do you think he's just observing, or is he sending a message?" I asked, before answering my own question. "Probably both."

"Zoltar… come down?" Keyop asked.

"I don't think so." Tiny disagreed. "If he were going to do that, he would have done it already."

"Coming down would be a capitulation." Mark concurred. "He'd be acknowledging the Yellow Flag and be forced to negotiate with them, at the very least. From what I know of Zoltar, that doesn't seem like something he'd do unless his back was against the wall."

"It looks pretty close to me." Jason observed. "The Yellow Flag is broadcasting freely and has just walked into his capital city, commandeering supplies for the military. What more can he do?"

"Zoltar always has a plan." Mark scowled momentarily.

"The question is, _what_ does he have planned?" I murmured. It was difficult for me to imagine what the Spectran Leader might do. If my incarceration had made one thing clear, it was that Zoltar's mind and mine were nothing alike.

Chief Anderson nodded, paying close attention to our conversation but not participating in it. It was clear that he was having similar thoughts, but preferred to see what we would come up with on our own, rather than injecting his own suppositions into our discussion. The video moved along rapidly; it was clear that the Chief was attempting to catch up with the current broadcast.

"You already knew about this, didn't you, Chief?" I asked.

"This occurred just before we began our briefing." the Chief admitted. "I was hoping that you might have some insights as to Zoltar's next move."

"As far as I can see, he doesn't have one." Jason offered.

"Zoltar's always at his worst when his back's against the wall." the Commander reminded us. "How many times have we 'had' him, and then he somehow slipped away?"

"Cheater!" Keyop cried self-righteously, to which we all laughed.

"I suppose he could say the same thing about us." I pointed out. "There have been many times when he was convinced that he had gotten the better of us."

"But only one time when he actually did." Mark said quietly, his eyes locked on mine.

"You mean when he destroyed half of Center Neptune?" Tiny asked, but as the pilot glanced back and forth between the Commander and myself, a sudden understanding flooded his eyes. "Oh…"

"We'll even the score." Jason promised, his eyes narrowing.

"This isn't about 'evening scores', Jason." Chief Anderson lectured. "It's about ending this war, for once and for all."

"And it seems like the Yellow Flag might just be able to do that for us." the Commander added, neatly turning the conversation back to a less dangerous path. We watched as the images flew by in high speed, finally catching us up to the current broadcast.

"According to the timeline, it's been an hour and nothing has happened." Tiny noted. "Zoltar's been out there this whole time!"

"The people are enjoying themselves, feeling good about themselves." I said. "Perhaps he's going to find some way to take credit for all of that?"

"Maybe." Mark replied, but he didn't sound very certain.

We watched for another fifteen minutes. I could tell that Tiny and Keyop were getting bored as nothing new happened. Tavis continued to interview people who all had similar stories of high-level privileges removed seemingly overnight, replaced with draconian rationing and military law. Although these elite citizens of the Spectran Empire had not suffered in the same way I knew people from other areas had, the fact that they too were unhappy with the current government spoke volumes.

"What's that?" Jason asked, his body stiffening as he rose slightly from his semi-relaxed position leaning against the wall. Just as I was about to ask what he meant, the camera angle changed. Obviously the operator had seen the same thing Jason had observed.

The broadcast zoomed in on the Administrative Centre, where movement could be seen at the doors to the largest administrative building. A head emerged, and then a body. Then another, and another.

"People… coming out!" Keyop exclaimed.

"Not just _any_ people." Jason noted. "Government workers. Spectrans who work for the system."

"Just because they work for the system doesn't mean they like the system." Mark pointed out. "Sometimes people accept employment because it's either that or starvation."

"Especially on Spectra." I added. "I've heard stories of personal savings 'disappearing'. Without a job, most people would find it difficult to get by." I thought of Partov, who had had nowhere to turn, widowed with a young child, her savings appropriated by the Spectran government. She had been denied employment, and had had difficulty making ends meet.

There were at least three dozen people in the Administrative Centre courtyard now. They were approaching the Main Square slowly, as if uncertain of their welcome. The other citizens in the Square were beginning to notice the newcomers, turning from their meals and observing the government workers.

One woman stepped forth from the group in the Main Square. The broadcast zoomed in on her briefly, and I was surprised to see that it was Norei, a yellow band about her arm.

"Come get something to eat!" Norei called out. "There is plenty for everyone!"

The people in the courtyard looked at each other, nodding and smiling, then began walking forward toward the Square. Some of the Spectre City citizens moved up to join Norei, welcoming the others.

Without warning, shots rang out, and the pavement at Norei's feet shattered into small pieces of stone. Tiny shards cut at Norei's hands and face; blood trickled down her cheek. Yet she maintained her composure as green-uniformed men marched out into the open, between the Main Square and the courtyard, effectively creating a physical barrier between the two groups of people.

"The Administrative Centre is off limits to civilian personnel." a man bearing captain's markings on his uniform announced. I recognized him, yet it took me a moment to place his face.

"That's Mandakar…" I said quietly, explaining further when the others looked at me curiously. "He was in charge of the detention area at Spectran Military Headquarters during my trial."

"We do not wish to enter the Administrative Centre." Norei replied, her tone holding a bare hint of condescension. "We only wish to allow these others into the Main Square, where they may collect food, which is being freely distributed to all."

"That food is not free." Mandakar declared. "It belongs to the Spectran government and has been allocated to feed the military. Whatever you eat is stealing from the mouths of Spectran soldiers: your fathers, your brothers, your husbands."

"We offer it freely to those in the military as well." Norei responded. "If you wish, you may come join us. Or if you do not wish to leave your posts, we will bring some to you. But these other people wish to enter the Main Square." She swept out her arm to indicate the government workers now standing in stunned silence behind the armed men.

"No one may leave or enter this area," Mandakar intoned, "by order of Lord Zoltar."

At the mention of Zoltar's name, some of the people cowered in fear, while other scowled in defiance. Still others appeared confused, as if they hadn't considered the Spectran Leader at all and were now uncertain as to how to proceed after their rash actions.

"Fine." Norei decided. "If these people cannot leave, then we will bring the food to them."

"You will come no closer. _No one_ is to come into the Administrative Centre!" Mandakar declared.

A woman I recognized as Genalla appeared at Norei's side, holding a bag of military rations. Genalla hefted the parcel, holding it out toward the soldiers.

"We are only giving food." she said plainly. "If you will not let us pass, perhaps you can give this to those who are behind you." Genalla took a step forward, offering the bag.

"No one comes closer!" Mandakar roared, pulling out his pistol and aiming it at Genalla. I was amazed to see the once timid woman I had known stand tall, holding her shoulders straight.

"Fine. Then I will leave it here." she said loudly. Slowly she bent down, placing the bag of rations on the ground.

"Stay away! We don't want your stolen food!" Mandakar shouted.

"No!" I cried, frozen in horror. "Genalla!"

But there was nothing I could do to prevent the crack of Mandakar's gun, or the bright red blood from blossoming on Genalla's temple. Belatedly I raced forward, catching myself just before I ran into the Chief's desk, suddenly realizing that I was not in this place, but an entire galaxy away from where this tragedy was unfolding.

"Princess…" Mark's voice was in my ear, his hands on my shoulders. But it could not take away the grief that ran through me at that moment.

In Spectre City, Norei had run to Genalla's aid, braving Mandakar's wrath. Yet it was clear, even through the broadcast view, that Genalla was dead. The camera closed in, Genalla's lifeless eyes filling the view screen.

"There was no reason to kill her!" Norei declared, her voice full of a cold rage. "This woman has suffered more than you can imagine at the hands of the Spectran government, and she did not deserve this!" The former Galaxy Girl rose to a stand, her body tense and ready to act.

The shots came without warning, firing into the crowd. We watched in horror as more people fell, and then the ones behind them surged forward, running as one toward the line of Spectran troops.

And in the middle of it all was Norei. I saw her deal a kick to Mandakar's head that surely shattered his skull, and then she was lost, lost in the vast sea of civilians that surged toward the Administrative Centre, bowling over the armed soldiers and trampling them beneath their feet. The administrative personnel who had come out into the courtyard were swallowed up by the massive crowd.

Shots were fired, but not many. The soldiers' guns were lost, torn from their hands by the crowd, then silenced forever.

In stunned silence we watched, simultaneously both fascinated and horrified by the scene unfolding in front of us. Throngs of people stormed into the courtyard, carried by their momentum and pushed by those behind them who wished to enter the area as well. The civilians at the front began to storm the administrative buildings.

"I… I can't believe it!" I whispered.

"I never thought I'd see a revolution takes place right in front of me." Mark said quietly, his hands tightening on my shoulders in a protective fashion. "It's like something you read about in history books."

"Not history!" Keyop said in an amazed tone. "Happening _now_!"

"On Spectra!" Tiny added.

"If I weren't seeing it with my own eyes…" the Chief said. "I need to speak with President Kane. If you'll all excuse." No one paid any attention as Chief Anderson left the room. We were too riveted to what was happening in the broadcast.

"Did you see that?" Jason asked suddenly, causing my eyes to zip around the screen in search of something that would stand out in this already unprecedented event.

"What?" Tiny sat straight up in his chair. "Where?"

"It's Zoltar." Mark observed. "He's gone."

"He left just a few seconds ago, right after the people broke into the Hall of Light." Jason told us.

"Zoltar… gone?" Keyop asked.

"Out of sight, anyway." I told him. "But I know him too well to think that he's out of mind."

"He's out of his mind, all right." Tiny smirk.

"What's he doing now?" Mark thought out loud.

"His capital city is rebelling, but he's sitting on top of Spectran Military Headquarters…"

"You don't think…?" I gasped in fear. "He wouldn't use the military against his own people?"

"I wouldn't put it past him." Jason muttered angrily. "He's practically done it already with that stunt at the Administrative Center courtyard. That purple freak doesn't have any sense of morals whatsoever!"

"We'd better keep an eye on this." Mark noted, and we all nodded. "At the very least we need to wait for the outcome of Chief Anderson's meeting with President Kane."

We all nodded in agreement. It was clear that it was going to be a long day.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

We spent the entire day watching events unfold in Spectre City. The citizens swarmed through the administrative buildings, tossing computers and paper records out of the windows and setting a bonfire to burn them. More food was brought up from inside the government area, and based on the labels on the boxes, I guessed that they had broken into some military stores. Tavis began interviewing people again, listening to their stories of hunger, mistreatment and deprivation. Soon he was listening to those who had been inside the administrative buildings, who told tales of plush offices for the upper echelons, secret stores of food and weapons, and scores of rooms empty of people. Other than the low-level workers who had attempted to leave the buildings to begin with, no administrative personnel were found. It was presumed that they had somehow escaped through a back passageway, but as the area was still being searched, no one was quite certain where they had gone.

Despite the drama occurring in front of us, after a couple of hours our stomachs were all rumbling. We retreated to the cafeteria, only to discover that the Federation News Network was picking up the broadcast, and all viewstations were tuned to the events unfolding on Spectra. The Federation was picking up other broadcasts as well, of smaller revolts taking place in other cities. It seemed that the entire planet was on fire, as government buildings burned and Spectran civilians cheered. There was little sign of the Spectran army, other than a few men who wore ragged green uniforms, their fanged masks gone: clearly soldiers who had long since given up on their military positions.

Eventually we retired to the Ready Room, but found ourselves unable to do anything but stare at the broadcasts, unable to get our fill, watching the birth of an infant revolution taking place over and over again. I felt my eyes grow heavy, yet I stared blearily at the viewscreen until Mark put his arm around me. Gratefully I dropped my head onto his shoulder, the movement so natural I barely noticed what I was doing. It wasn't long before I had snuggled into the crook of his arm and fallen asleep.

I awoke some time later, startled to realize that I was still sitting on the Ready Room couch with Mark and the others. Everyone appeared to be sleeping, even Mark, although he still held me tightly in his arms. The lights had been set to quarter illumination and the viewscreen had been turned to a low volume, but it was still tuned to the Federation News Network broadcast, showing scenes of various Spectran cities. Some of them were still blanketed in darkness, only a few late-night revelers to be found, while urban centers on the other side of the planet were just waking up to the reality of their new world, taking their own steps to free themselves from the old government regime. From what I could see, every major city on the planet, and most of the smaller ones, had participated in this unprecedented event.

Spectre City was dark, although it was easy to see evidence of what had occurred less than a day before. Numerous recycling bins lined the streets, holding the discarded wrappings from the food that had been eaten the day before. Black circles of ash showed where bonfires of varying sizes had been lit earlier that night. The Administrative Centre courtyard had only trampled plants and flowers to show for its former beauty, and in one corner stood a covered mound. I didn't have to look closely to know that these were the bodies of the Spectran soldiers who had protested the entrance of civilians the previous day. Although I bore no love for the Spectran military in general (and had, in fact, killed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of soldiers through my own direct actions in the past) I found the sight disturbing. Perhaps it was knowing how they had died, literally torn apart at the hands of an angry mob, that bothered me so much.

Despite the violent manner in which the angry crowd had dealt with the blockading soldiers in Spectre City, I saw very few other signs of violence. For the most part, the Spectrans seemed to be family people, simply wishing for a better life and grateful that generally speaking, order had been maintained throughout this process. I wished I knew where Fanel, Norei, Tavis and the others had gone. What were they thinking after the momentous events of the past day? Were they sleeping peacefully or still awake with their excitement, attempting to absorb everything that had occurred?

A yellow flag flew from the top of the largest administrative building in Spectre City, and when the broadcasts turned to other Spectran cities, I saw similar demonstrations: yellow paint on the side of government facilities, yellow flags hanging from homes and courthouses, people sporting yellow armbands in the street.

By all appearances, it seemed that Fanel had won.

It had come at a terrible cost, but Fanel's dream of toppling the Spectran government seemed to have been realized. I suspected that she would be thinking of her lost husband right now. The memory of Genalla's lifeless face brought tears to my eyes. And what of Norei? Would her family still disown her, after this? Or would they have fled, fearful of being branded as loyal to the now-defunct government?

Lost in thought, I shifted slightly, feeling Mark stir against me. His eyes opened slowly and he stared at me, smiling gradually, as if he couldn't quite believe what he saw.

"This is the second day in a row I've woken up to your face." he whispered in my ear. "I think I could get used to that." I blushed, feeling the heat rise from my body as I squirmed in both embarrassment and longing.

"Sorry I woke you." I did my best to change the subject. "I didn't mean to. I guess you could use the rest."

"We all could." Mark glanced around, taking in the sleeping forms of the others sprawled around the Ready Room. He put a finger to his lips, indicating we should remain silent, then gestured from me to follow him. He pulled away from me and I felt an instant sense of deprivation, but he held out his hand. I placed my fingers in his and allowed him to lead me out of the Ready Room and into the corridor. He paused for a moment, as if uncertain where to go, then suddenly strode forward, moving with purpose, yet still holding my hand. We moved through Center Neptune, passing through corridors and hallways in a seemingly random fashion, but Mark moved with a certainty that belied this notion. Eventually we entered an area that appeared slightly antiquated when compared with the rest of the base. My eyes darted around curiously, taking it all in.

"When they rebuilt Center Neptune, they changed a lot of things." Mark said quietly, looking down the small corridor, barely seeming to notice that he was still holding my hand. "Galaxy Security wanted to install all of the latest technology, and everyone had ideas on how their sections could be reimagined. Our quarters, the Ready Room, Dr. Nambu's office, the labs, the engine room… they've all been completely redesigned."

"Yes, they redid almost everything from scratch." I replied, yet Mark didn't appear to hear me, so lost was he in thought.

"And yet… a few parts… just a few… are almost exactly like the Center Neptune we knew. The place where we grew up, running around its corridors and playing in its empty rooms, before it came into service." He turned and looked around, his eyes finally alighting on a nearby door.

"Back in there is a storage area." he said, jerking his head slightly to indicate the door. "But it used to be a file room. Do you remember, Princess?"

"I…" I looked around at the area. Certainly the design was familiar, and I recalled playing in passageways such as these as a child, when Chief Anderson would visit during the base's construction. Yet this particular corridor… I tilted my head, my brow furrowing as I tried to think. And as my head changed its angle slightly, I remembered…

"Yes." I whispered, my eyes growing wide. "I remember this place. The day that Center Neptune was destroyed, this is where…" I moved to the wall, passing my hand over the door, lost in the memory.

"Of course, it's not _exactly_ the same." Mark admitted. "It's certainly not the same door, or even the same metal. But somehow… it _feels_ the same…" He turned to me, and for the first time since we had arrived, I felt as if he was truly seeing me there, with him.

"When you were gone, I found this place." he told me. "Stumbled across it, really. I used to wander the base, searching for… something. Anything. Anything to take my mind off of how much I missed you, how worried I was about you."

"Mark…" I reached out with my free hand, touching his cheek, mesmerized by the glimmer in his eye. His face bore evidence of emotions I hadn't seen from him since his father had died.

"I sat here for hours." he revealed, his free hand reaching up and capturing mine, pressing it further against his cheek as he stared at me intently. "Many times, I came back here just to sit… and remember. I thought about that day, when the corridor was tilted on its side. We sat here, on this door: together, but barely so, back to back, not even looking at each other. That day when we were convinced that we were going to die…"

"But we didn't die." I reminded him. "We're still here. We survived. I've thought about that day too, Mark, many times. It was knowing that we had survived that experience which gave me the strength I needed while I was on Spectra. I knew I could survive anything, if I had to."

"But don't you see?" Mark asked, his face suddenly filled with frustration. He pulled my hand from his cheek, crushing it in his fist with anger. Instantly I was filled with chagrin. What had I done wrong?

"Back then, I thought everything was ending. I thought the war was ending, that our lives were ending… and even then, I didn't have the courage to tell you how I felt."

"Mark, I don't…"

Since then, I've regretted many times that I never said anything, especially when you were on Spectra and I feared that I might never see you again."

"But you did tell me." I reminded him. "Right after I came back."

"I didn't tell you _then_." he repeated. "But you did."

"I did?" I flushed, recalling my fumbling attempts to approach the subject on that fateful day.

"You said that you had always liked me best." Mark recalled. "I understood what you meant. And I knew that you were waiting for me to respond in kind. But I didn't have the courage to act on my feelings, even when I knew that we might not live to see the end of the day."

"It doesn't make any difference now."

"It does to me. It's eaten away at me ever since. That wasn't our last day together, but it could have been. Every day we have is special, because it could be the last one."

"Every day we have is special, because we're together."

"Princess… after what happened yesterday, things might be changing. If Spectra is under a new government, a government that sees reason and isn't interested in aggression, the war may be over sooner than we think."

"I hope so." I sighed heavily. "Too many people have suffered as it is, both here and on Spectra."

"And our lives will be our own. We can decide what we want to do, and not be beholden to Galaxy Security. At least, not if we don't want to be."

"I'm not sure what I'd want. I haven't thought about it before. All I've ever thought about after the war… is you, Mark." My face flushed pink.

"I'm going to make things right." Mark decided. "Right here, right now, in the place where I should have spoken up all those months ago." He let go of my hands to pull me close, kissing me with a sense of urgency I had never felt from him before. I sighed happily, threading my arms around his neck.

"Princess," he whispered in my ear, "I want us to be together. Always. No matter what happens, we stay together, for the rest of our lives."

"Sounds perfect." I agreed.

"I've made mistakes, but I'm going to make up for them. I should never have doubted you when you returned from Spectra. I should have told you how I felt long ago. But now you know how I feel, and I'll never doubt your feelings again."

"You'll never have to." I promised him. "I love you, Mark."

"I love you, Princess."

Mark kissed me then and I felt the strength of his promise in the caress of his lips. He pulled me closer to him, so that our bodies were pressed tightly together, as if he wanted to merge our physical selves into one being. A pleasant heat warmed its way through my body, spreading out from my core and sending me floating away, locked in Mark's embrace. If we were to be together forever, I wanted it to be like this: kissing and holding each other, never letting go.

"Princess…" he moaned, shifting slightly so that our legs intertwined. He pressed against me and I sensed the evidence of his desire jutting against my abdomen.

It was as if a cold bucket of water had been poured over me. A chill ran down my spine and I shivered, pulling away from him, wrapping my arms around my body. The pleasant feelings of a moment before had vanished into the air.

"Princess… what's wrong?" Mark's expression was one of concern but I stared at him, my eyes wide with shock.

"Please, Mark… I can't…"

"You can't...? You don't want to…?"

"I want to be with you, Mark, but I…" I struggled to find the words. How could I explain the terror that had overcome me when I had noticed his physical reaction to our closeness? He hadn't done anything wrong. _I_ was the one who was wrong. Dark, horrible memories surged in my mind, evil things I wanted to push away, yet I was powerless to do so. Though I would eagerly have cast them away forever, they had become a part of me.

"I felt… happy…" I attempted to explain. "But then, when we were so close, I couldn't help remembering…" I buried my face in my hands, ashamed for ruining this perfect moment with my own imperfections. Perhaps I didn't deserve a good man like Mark. Perhaps we _shouldn't_ be together.

"Remembering…" Mark's face bore an expression of confusion, then suddenly darkened, as he realized what I meant. "You remembered what Zoltar did to you."

"I didn't want to…" I pleaded with him to understand. "I did everything I could to push it away…" I wasn't certain anymore if I was talking about the memories or the experience itself, but now the words were pouring from my mouth and I was unable to stop them.

"I feel helpless. I feel weak. I can't fight back! I hate it! It's not what I want! I can't let him win! But I'm not in control. I'm not good enough…"

"You're more than good enough." Mark assured me, his arms around me as I sagged against him. "And he won't win; not if you don't let him."

"I _have_ let him…" I admitted tearfully, hiding my face in Mark's shirt so that I wouldn't have to look him in the eye.

"One moment of weakness doesn't mean that you've lost the war." Mark reminded me. "How many times has G-Force been beaten down, only to come back? We _never_ let Zoltar win, no matter what. We stay strong."

"But this is different…" I whispered, still unable to face him.

"Of course it's different." Mark agreed. "This time, Zoltar's playing psychological warfare. He's cut you off from us. We're always strongest together. You know that. He knows that. But I'm here with you. I'll fight with you, but I can't do it alone. You need to face your memories and see them for what they are: painful recollections. But that's all. We've faced plenty of difficulties before, horrible times I don't care to think about. But I don't let that stop me from going on, from living my life the way I want to."

"I want that…" I admitted. "But I'm not certain I can do it."

"You can." he promised. "You're already halfway there. You're letting me hold you, right now. I've touched you, kissed you, and you were able to enjoy that the way you should."

"I like kissing you." I said quietly, a wry smile twisting my lips, despite myself. "And touching you. I like being in your arms. But Zoltar never did that. All he wanted…"

"All he wanted was to demean you, to defeat you." Mark said. "But he didn't do it. You didn't give up. You told us, in your debriefing, how you taunted him, forcing _him_ to give up. _That's_ what you need to remember."

"I do remember that…" I said, recalling the way I had used words, and eventually only laughter and mocking expressions, to steal away Zoltar's power to hurt me in that fashion. _He_ had been the one who had decided to stop 'visiting' me.

"When I touch you, is it the same as when he touched you?" Mark pressed.

"No." I shook my head. "He didn't touch me in this way at all. Only… only as little as he had to, to do what he wanted."

"Princess, I won't lie to you." Mark said slowly. "I want to be with you in _every_ way. But it doesn't have to be right now. We'll wait as long as you need to. And when it does happen, it won't be anything like what you experienced before. I won't do anything you don't want, or anything you're uncomfortable with. _You_ will be in control. And every touch will be just like this…" He placed his fingers underneath my chin, tilting my head up and kissing my tears away from my cheeks, until he softly pressed his lips against my mouth. Despite my tangled emotions, I felt myself warming underneath his touch, and suddenly I knew that everything Mark said was true. I wouldn't let Zoltar take this away from me. We _would_ be intimate with each other one day, and it would be _nothing_ like what I had experienced before.

But that day wasn't today. For today, I would simply enjoy the intimacy of Mark's embrace, and the tenderness of his kisses.

Together, we could overcome anything.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

I awoke a few hours later in my own bed, Mark's words still whispering through my ears. It wasn't all right yet, but it would be, and that was all I needed to go on. A slight smile crossed my lips as I recalled the way I had felt when he had kissed me for hours, until my lips were swollen and my arms ached from holding him so tightly. There had been nothing ugly or sordid about what we had shared, and there never would be.

It was with these pleasant thoughts in my head that I got dressed, preparing to face the day. I turned on my communications monitor, adjusting it to the Federation News Network, to see what had happened while I had slept. It seemed that another dozen mid-size urban population centers had joined the Yellow Flag in ousting their local governments, bringing ninety-eight percent of the Spectran population into the revolution. Elections would be held in a tennight to select a one year Governor, after which time a longer term Prime Minister and Board of Ministers would be elected.

Heady stuff, given the situation only twenty-four hours before.

I was still marveling at these turns of events when my communicator began to beep.

"G-Force, come to my office immediately!"

"On my way, Chief!"

88888

The Phoenix moved slowly through the darkness of space, its occupants glued to the various viewscreens and monitors that both charted our position and monitored the area for signs of any other vessels.

"It's got to be here somewhere." the Commander muttered to himself. "Zark last saw it just a few parsecs from this position…"

"It's a small ship." Tiny volunteered. "Easy to miss."

"We're looking pretty thoroughly, Tiny." Jason admonished the pilot. "Nothing's going to slip past us."

"Said that… before…" Keyop reminded him.

"This time Zoltar isn't getting away." Mark declared.

"If it really is Zoltar." Tiny added.

"A tiny ship with the astral signature of the purple freak's Devilstar Pod?" Jason snorted. "It has to be him!"

"See… something…" Keyop nudged me, uncertain as to his scanning results.

"It looks promising." I told him. "You remembered to set up the protonic isolaters like I taught you, and the filtering sequence is correct." He grinned widely at me.

"So… what is it?" he burbled.

"It looks like…" I zoomed in, narrowing the range on the filters. "Commander, three ships, coming fast toward coordinates Epsilon 549.32! Two large Spectran warships and one small…" I smiled, showing Keyop what he had discovered.

"Devilstar pod!" Keyop crowed happily. "Zoltar!"

"We're about to find out." Mark said. "Take us there, Tiny, but remain in Federation space."

"You got it, Commander!"

We arrived just in time to see Zoltar's spinning Devilstar Pod breaking out of Time Warp, two large Spectran warships close behind. The Devilstar burst into Federation space, clearly too occupied with avoiding its pursuers to notice what was right in front of it.

"Position ourselves on the other side of the pod." Mark ordered Tiny. "Zolar's not getting away this time. He'll either have to deal with us or the Yellow Flag."

"I'd like to deal with him." Jason muttered, punching his fist into his palm in a threatening manner.

"You heard what the Chief said, Jason." Mark admonished. "It's not our decision. We're only here to back up the Yellow Flag and enforce Federation borders. We are not permitted to enter Spectran space or commit any other kind of potentially hostile action."

"G-Force." The communications monitor lit up with a familiar face.

"Norei!" I exclaimed, running forward. "It's so good to see you!"

"It is good to see you as well, Princess." Norei's eyes warmed slightly before returning to their businesslike demeanor. "Commander, may I enquire as to your purpose here?"

"We are here to patrol the Federation border." Mark replied blandly, his lips twitching with the hint of a smile. "And it seems that a Spectran ship has lost its way and accidentally strayed off course. I presume you would like the ship, and its occupant, returned to you?"

"That would be a most welcome gesture of friendship from the Federation." Norei agreed with a small smirk. "But suppose the pilot, confused by the rigors of deep space travel, should choose not to return home?"

"Commander, the pod is powering up into Time Warp!" I reported.

"Jason, disable those engines." Mark ordered.

"With pleasure." Jason immediately pressed the red firing button, sending a pair of low-yield space torpedoes toward the Devilstar's exhaust ports, just as it began to move. A small explosion caused the pod to jerk forward, slowing its progress until it eventually came to a brief stop, smoke pouring from its aft ports.

"That Devilstar isn't going anywhere." Jason smirked, nodding graciously in Norei's direction. She inclined her head slightly in return.

"Let me answer the question you asked, before we were so rudely interrupted." Mark said to Norei. "If the pilot of this vessel should choose not to return home, the Federation will take him into custody and deal with him appropriately."

"What is 'appropriately'?" Norei asked, a frown on her face.

"He will be placed on trial, of course." Mark answered blandly. "If, as I suspect, he is convicted of serious war crimes, he will be placed into custody, with no possibility of parole."

"That is not acceptable." Norei declared. "This man is guilty of heinous crimes against the Spectran people. He must be put on trial and executed for those crimes."

"Would you stop discussing me as though I'm not even here?" Zoltar's enraged face appeared on the secondary communications monitor. "Despite my damaged engines, I can pick up your conversation perfectly well."

"I suspected as much, Zoltar." Mark grinned. "And now that you've decided to speak with us, may I ask what you are proposing to do? Will you return to Spectra, your home planet, or remain in Federation space?"

"This is not acceptable, Commander!" Norei declared. Her eyes sought mine, and I could sense the desperation in them.

"Zoltar needs to return to Spectra!" she said, clearly hoping that we would agree.

"If Zoltar chooses to surrender himself to us, I am required to bring him back to Federation authorities." Mark replied, clearly wishing that his hands were not thusly tied.

"Commander!" I cried, running up to him. I whispered my idea into his ear and he nodded slowly, turning back to Norei.

"However," he addressed her once more, "it has just been brought to my attention that once Zoltar's trial within the Federation has been concluded, that does not mean that he has finished answering for his crimes. I promise, as Commander of G-Force, that at this time, Zoltar will be extradited to Spectra for a second trial, to answer to the crimes he has committed against citizens of the Empire."

"What? You can't do that!" Zoltar screeched indignantly.

"A trial under Federation jurisdiction, and _then_ a trial on Spectra…" Norei mused. "Yes, I can see the advantages of that. Answering to both peoples for the atrocities he has committed against them. If you give me your word, Commander, I will accept your proposal."

"I give you my word," Mark agreed, "as Commander of G-Force, that Zoltar will be returned to Spectra for trial once he has concluded his trial within the Federation."

"The members of the G-Force Team will back up the Commander's word, no matter what occurs." Jason said suddenly, moving to stand behind Mark.

"Agreed." I added.

"Agreed." Keyop and Tiny nodded solemnly.

"So, Zoltar," Norei grinned evilly, "What's your choice? Would you rather face one trial, or two?"

"It would seem as if the results of both trials are foregone conclusions." Zoltar sulked.

"Not at all." the Commander disagreed. "I can't speak for Spectran courts, since my experience with them is limited, but the outcome of a Federation trial is not determined until it is over. However, given the mountain of solid evidence against you, I can make an educated guess as to the likely outcome."

"Loosely translated, we have enough on you to put you away for three lifetimes, Zoltar." Jason snarled.

"The people of Spectra take a similar stance." Norei agreed. "The trial will be fair, but the evidence against Zoltar is both significant and incontrovertible."

"I choose to surrender to the Federation." Zoltar snapped angrily.

"What?" Keyop jumped up in surprise, while Tiny's jaw fell to the floor.

"_Two_ trials, Zoltar?" Norei raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Is that truly an indignity through which you wish to suffer?"

"One trial means going back to Spectra." Zoltar reminded them. "As you have so succinctly put it, I am not likely to survive that one. Surrendering to the Federation will prolong my life."

"I'm so glad that we could help you extend your miserable existence." Jason growled sarcastically.

"Jason…" I warned, placing a hand on his arm. He looked at me, his eyes locking with mine for a moment before he nodded.

"On the bright side, I'll have a ringside seat, watching you squirm." Jason told Zoltar. I sighed. Trust Jason to find his own twisted version of a silver lining.

"Zoltar, you will not interfere with the docking clamps that we will attach to your vessel." Mark ordered. "Once you have docked with us, your ship will be boarded and searched. You will surrender your weapons. Then you will travel to Earth onboard the Phoenix under custody, at which time your person will be remanded to Galaxy Security."

"Norei, I will personally ensure that you are kept abreast of all proceedings relating to Zoltar's trial and extradition." I promised her.

"I am trusting in you, and in your Commander." Norei replied. "For the sake of peace."

"We won't let you down." I assured her. "For the sake of peace… and friendship."

"I'm counting on it." Norei winked, before terminating the communication.

Norei's ships stayed in the area, albeit in Spectran space, monitoring our docking with the Devilstar pod. Once Zoltar had been taken aboard the Phoenix, Tiny pushed the small ship over toward Spectran space, where its own momentum carried it across the border, at which time one of Norei's warships took it into its docking bay. We communicated a brief farewell and departed for Earth, our unexpected prisoner in tow.

"Everyone but Tiny, meet me in the detention area." Mark ordered. I rose reluctantly, not eager to face Zoltar in person once more. Yet I knew that this was one demon I would have to live up to. My incarceration on Spectra, and the things that had happened during that time, would surely be a part of Zoltar's trial. I would have to face him eventually, and it was probably better that I got the initial distasteful encounter over with now.

Not that this meant that I was looking forward to it.

"Okay, Princess?" Keyop asked, seeing my tight, pale expression.

"I'll be fine, Keyop." I assured him, with far more confidence than I felt.

"We'll be right there with you." Jason promised, placing a steadying arm around me.

"Thanks." I muttered, staring at the floor as we moved through the corridor. "I appreciate that."

When we entered the detention area, Zoltar was confined in the center of the room via force fields, the Commander standing in front of him.

"Everyone, take up your positions, please." Mark ordered, and accordingly we all surrounded Zoltar, each of us placed at ninety degree angles around his body. Gratefully I took the position to Zoltar's rear, left to me by Jason and Keyop, thankful that I did not have to look at the former Spectran Leader's face.

"We need you to hand over your weapons, Zoltar." Mark ordered. "All of them."

"I don't have any weapons!" Zoltar protested.

"What about those two pistols you keep inside your cape?" Jason asked, smirking as Zoltar scowled.

"Fine." Zoltar retorted sulkily, pulling the two guns from underneath his cloak, dropping them to the floor.

"Knife!" Keyop piped up. "Boots!"

"These?" Zoltar feigned surprise as he pulled a knife from each boot. These also went onto the floor.

"And I seem to recall that you regularly carry a few minibombs in your mouth, of varying effects." the Commander reminded the former Spectran Leader.

"Oh, I don't do that anymore." Zoltar replied blandly. "Bad for the digestion, you know."

"Then you won't mind if Jason just checks to make sure."

"Oh, you mean these two minibombs?" Zoltar hurried to spit something out into his hand.

"Deposit them over there." Mark indicated a spot on the floor. Zoltar moved slowly, but did as the Commander asked.

"Now is there anything else?" Mark asked dryly.

"Really, Commander, after all of these years, is there no level of trust?"

"No." Mark answered shortly.

"I believe he carries transmitters in the buttons of his waistcoat." I reminded Mark. Zoltar turned around to glare, and I felt the full force of his malevolence upon me. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the man who had unleashed his worst upon me and tormented me with depths of hell I could never have imagined.

It took everything in me to remain outwardly calm.

"Are you back to your old self yet, Princess?" he asked in a silky voice. "It is unfortunate that you had such a difficult time adjusting to life on Spectra."

"Any difficulties I experienced were entirely your doing, Zoltar." I replied. "However as you can see, there have been no lasting effects."

"I do miss our private 'chats' together, Princess." he leered.

"That's strange, because as I recall, your 'weapon' was completely ineffective." I answered coolly. But my hands betrayed my anger, balling into fists. Zoltar's eyes flashed, and I could sense his irritation in return. It was almost as if we were back on Spectra, and my taunts were the only defense I had against his relentless assaults.

"You will pay for your insolence!" he snarled, raising his hand to strike, and for just a moment it felt as if I was truly back at the Traitor's Prison.

"That's enough." Mark ordered, bringing me back to the present and causing Zoltar to snap his attention back around to the front of the room, his hand dropping to his side. "I'm going to lower the force fields to retrieve the weapons. But first…" The Commander flickered his fingers at Jason, Keyop and myself, and we understood what to do. From the locked panels behind me, I pulled out a complete set of restraints, tossing the other two pieces of the set to my left and right, where Jason and Keyop deftly caught them. The force fields went down and immediately I stepped forward, grabbing Zoltar's arms and restraining them at the wrists behind his back. Jason wrapped another set of restraints around his thighs, just above his knees, while Keyop latched his ankles together. Mark quickly retrieved all of the weapons and snapped all of Zoltar's buttons from his waistcoat. The Commander tossed the buttons, along with the minibombs, into a small airlock, which shot the weapons out into space, where they detonated harmlessly.

"One last thing…" Mark grimaced in a determined fashion as he reached forward, yanking Zoltar's mask from his face. From behind all I could make out was a mass of long, blond hair tumbling around his shoulders, but that was all I needed to see. I had more knowledge of Zoltar's cruel face than I would ever have imagined. It was bad enough seeing those features partially obscured by a mask. I did not want to see his malicious eyes and cruel mouth on an all-too-humanoid face. I stared straight ahead, unwilling to look around to the front of Zoltar's unmasked appearance. Jason's mouth set into a grim line, while Keyop's mouth fell open. Mark's expression didn't change, yet I saw his eyes harden.

"Funny, I should have recognized you before." the Commander noted. "Your insanity is written all over your face."

"Stare while you will." Zoltar hissed. "You are unworthy to behold my true self, and your dishonor speaks volumes."

"Just making certain that we have the correct prisoner." the Commander replied, undisturbed by Zoltar's remarks. "As I recall, you've managed to elude us once or twice before." He moved away and the rest of us followed suit and stepped back. The force fields came up again, surrounding a startled Zoltar. He did not speak a word as we filed from the small chamber. I noticed Mark holding Jason back and whispering in his ear. Jason nodded and then turned, remaining in the detention area. He leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed, pulling out a feather dart and chewing its tip between his teeth. I sighed inwardly, relieved that Zoltar would have a live guard in addition to the restraints and force fields.

"How are you holding up?" Mark asked me once we were alone in the corridor, Keyop having run on ahead to the Bridge.

"I'm fine." I did my best to smile at him. "You're here."

"When he threatened to hit you, I almost lost it." he admitted ruefully. "It wasn't enough that he had to demean you… I don't really know what held me back, if it was my own will, or the knowledge that the force field was still there. But it was difficult not to strangle him once I had the chance."

"That's not our judgment call to make." I reminded him. "We promised Norei…"

"I know." the Commander sighed heavily. "But when I saw the way he treated you… Was it like that when…?"

"Yes." I answered quickly, eager to get the subject over and done with. "All the time. Worse."

"That's why you insulted him."

"It was my only defense. After awhile, I didn't even have that, because he had me gagged."

"Princess…" Mark stopped me, turning my body to face his and holding my shoulders in his hands. He stared into my eyes, then closed his and rested the crest of his helmet against the top of mine. "I understand now why you reacted the way you did last night, in the corridor. I mean, I understood then, but I do even more now. I'm just so sorry I ever doubted you…"

"That's over and done with, Mark." I told him. "Just… help me get through this."

"Whatever you need." he promised.

"I'm counting on it." I smiled weakly. It was the best I could manage, under the circumstances.

When we returned to the Bridge, the Commander immediately sat down at his station, initiating a communication to Chief Anderson to explain everything that had happened. I kept my eyes on my own control panels, grateful for the excuse of work to cover my attempt to get a rein on my own emotions. Seeing Zoltar again had been terrifying, yet also self-affirming. I could still hold my own with him, if I had to. And I wouldn't have to for much longer.

I thought about my lost child, the infant that until a few weeks ago had been a part of me. I had desperately wanted to keep my baby, but Mark had pointed out that once he learned of the child's existence, Zoltar would never give up on finding it. Picturing Zoltar's expression right now I shuddered, for the first time grateful that my baby had been spared the terror of knowing that this man would stop at nothing… Perhaps Mark had been right. Perhaps this child had been destined for nothing but terror and pain. However much I would have loved my baby, could that have protected it from a lifetime of fear and misery?

Of course, I was facing fear and misery of my own. I would have to openly face Zoltar at his trial, where his treatment of me during my incarceration was bound to come out and become part of the public record. As a member of G-Force, I would be expected to testify under the full scrutiny of the Federation, no matter the personal cost.

I could do it. I would _have_ to do it. It was the only way.

Irrationally, I wondered if Zoltar had decided to surrender to the Federation simply to put me through his hell one final time. But then reason caught up with me. Zoltar had chosen to surrender to the Federation to save his own skin, to extend his miserable life just a little bit longer and hope that by the time extradition occurred, the situation on Spectra would have changed.

At this point it was all I had to go on.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Mark stood up suddenly, and I realized that his conversation with the Chief was over. He moved to exit the Bridge, curling his finger in an indication that I was to join him.

"What is it?" I asked, once we were in the passageway.

"Chief Anderson wants me to debrief him." Mark replied. "Given Zoltar's slippery nature, the Chief wants answers as quickly as possible, before anything… happens."

"I can see why he'd want to jump on this opportunity." I agreed, but a knot was forming in my stomach. There was more, and I sensed that I wasn't going to like it.

"He ordered you to accompany me." Mark said flatly. "You have to be present at the interrogation. I think… I think the Chief wants to see how you will react. To confirm…" He couldn't finish the sentence, but I understood all too well. The Chief still wasn't one hundred percent certain that I wasn't operating under some orders of Zoltar's; that I wasn't suffering from some bizarre form of Stockholm Syndrome.

"I have no doubts." Mark assured me, his eyes locked onto mine. "I want you to understand that."

"I do."

"You have to be present. Those are the Chief's orders. But… Zoltar doesn't have to _know_ you are present."

"Huh?"

"You can stay in the observation room." the Commander told me. "You can see Zoltar, operate the recording mechanisms. But he won't be able to see you."

"I…" I swallowed slowly, attempting to calm my racing heart. "I would prefer that. Thank you, Commander."

"I'll do everything I can to help you, Princess."

"I know."

He took my hand, threading his fingers through mine as he led me down to the observation room. Sure enough, I could see Zoltar sitting awkwardly on the floor, surrounded by force fields, while Jason leaned against the wall, still chewing on his feather dart. My eyes fell upon Zoltar's unmasked face and a chill passed through me. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the man who had tortured me for months on end. His cruel nature seemed etched into the lines of his face, leaving a harsh, soulless creature in its wake.

"Start recording as soon as I leave." Mark instructed. "After that all you have to do is make sure the equipment is still operating. I'm sorry you have to go through this, Princess."

"There's worse to come." I shrugged, doing my best to project a careless attitude. "At the trial."

"The trial…" Mark's face darkened; clearly he hadn't thought about the implications of Zoltar's trial would mean for me. "We'll do what we can, Princess."

"I'll do whatever I have to do." I said quietly.

"I know you will." He pulled me briefly into his arms, his hand gently caressing the back of my wings before stepping away once more. "But if I can prevent any further hurt… I will." He turned to leave, but I called out his name softly.

"Mark… I love you."

"I love you too, Princess." he smiled. And then he was gone.

I felt a warm glow inside, and suddenly I understood the newfound source of strength Mark's belief in me had instilled. I could do anything, especially with Mark at my side.

Still, I didn't relish listening to Zoltar's debriefing.

I saw the Commander enter the detention area, whispering something in Jason's ear. Jason nodded and departed, casting one last scowl at Zoltar. A moment later I heard a noise behind me, and turned to see Jason entering the room.

"Do you want to be alone?" Jason asked. "Or would you like some company?"

"Mark sent you." It was not a question.

"The point is, I'm here, if you want." Jason shrugged.

"I… I'd like that. Thank you, Jason."

"No problem." he said, taking up a similar position as he had in the detention area, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms and ankles. I returned to the recording equipment.

"So, Commander, to what do I owe this dubious pleasure?" Zoltar's oily voice penetrated my consciousness, and involuntarily I looked up. He was pulling himself to a stand, making a show of dusting off his clothing, while Mark simply stood in front of him.

"I need to ask you some questions."

"You may ask." Zoltar smiled thinly. "But you may not like the answers you receive."

"You're going to trial. Anything you can do to assist us by offering information of your own free will can only help your case."

"By reducing the penalty from three life sentences to two? Or something else? Your Federation has so many confusing laws, I'm not even certain which ones I have broken. All the more so because I'm not even a member of your Federation."

"You will be judged by your behavior as compared against that laid out by the Vegan Accords and the Intergalactic Treaty, as signed by the rulers of Spectra over one hundred years ago." the Commander intoned. "Rules of warfare were agreed to for the express purpose of preventing the loss of innocent lives…"

"Rules that the Federation has ignored time and time again, for their own purposes."

"That is not the case, as I'm sure you are aware. But that's not why I'm here, speaking with you." Mark responded, refusing to be distracted from his purpose.

"Oh, what is it, then?" Zoltar scowled.

"Will you answer my questions?"

"As long as it amuses me." Zoltar capitulated with little grace.

"Why did you leave the planet Spectra?"

"I should think that would be obvious." Zoltar snorted derisively. "Have you been living under a rock, Commander? There has been a 'revolution' on my planet, and temporarily my life was in jeopardy."

"Because of the crimes you have committed against the Spectran people."

"Because the Spectran people are ungrateful wretches." Zoltar spat.

"Ungrateful?"

"They want luxuries and a soft life, but such lives cannot be sustained without support, resources. Yet when I put forth efforts to obtain those resources, they protested."

"I think it's more than that, Zoltar." the Commander chided. "Restrictive government sanctions, unfair labor laws, military rule, executions without right of trial, harsh punishments for minor infractions…"

"Are you always this tedious?" Zoltar asked in a bored tone. "I suppose you are. Not that it's anything of a surprise."

"So you left Spectra to escape the Yellow Flag." the Commander confirmed.

"I suppose, if you want to put it that way."

"Do you still consider yourself to be the Ruler of Spectra?"

"Of course I'm the Ruler of Spectra! What kind of a question is that? Just because these ruffians have forced their uncouth presence into the government buildings does not take away my right to rulership."

"What gives you your right to rulership?"

"Why the Great Spirit of course. The Luminous One declared me Ruler of Spectra over twenty years ago."

"Where is the Great Spirit now? Did you abandon it to flee the planet?"

"The Luminous One is no longer on Spectra."

"Where did it go?"

"The mysteries of the Great Spirit are not for a weakling such as yourself to understand."

"You mean, you don't know?"

"I know everything I need to know."

"But you don't know where the Great Spirit is right now."

"I didn't say that."

"The alien entity you call the Great Spirit has resided on your planet for centuries, never once leaving Spectra in physical form. Yet now, it would appear that it has done so, and _you don't know where it is_?"

"It didn't want me!" Zoltar's rage burst forth, his venom audible in his words.

"It didn't want you?" the Commander sounded surprised.

"When the Administrative Centre fell, when it became clear that the Hall of Light and the Palace of Awe would be stormed, the Luminous One informed us that it would be leaving."

"Us?"

"My sister Mala and myself. The Great Spirit said that it was leaving Spectra, that the planet was no longer of use to it, and that it would be taking one of us with it, to serve as its loyal servant."

"So, then, why are you here? Did the Great Spirit change its mind, not require a servant after all?"

"It didn't want _me_!" Zoltar spat again, his fury and disbelief evident in every line of his body.

"It wanted Mala…" the Commander nodded in understanding. "So the Great Sprit and your sister, Mala, are free. Do you think it is their intention to attack the Federation?"

"The Luminous One was disgusted with us." Zoltar muttered angrily. "He never wanted to hear of us again. I suspect they have gone somewhere entirely… different."

"Could the Great Spirit have returned to its homeworld?"

"Its homeworld was destroyed millennia past. But there are others of its kind. It may have gone to join them."

"Do you know where these 'kind' are located?"

"No." Zoltar's voice took on a sour note.

"What do you think…"

"Commander, why are _you_ asking all the questions?" Zoltar interrupted. "I've been accommodating. I think it's _my_ turn to ask the questions."

"I can't promise I'll answer your questions." the Commander smirked as he threw Zoltar's own words back at him.

"You don't have to answer, Commander. I will obtain my answers simply from your reactions." Zoltar appeared smug. "For example, may I ask, where is your third officer?"

"My third officer?"

"The female known as 'Princess'. Does she mean so little to you that you forget her when she is not in the room? That's hardly what I would expect from a fine, upstanding Commander such as yourself."

"There is no reason for her to be here, just as there is no reason for any of the other G-Force officers to be here."

"Are you afraid, Commander?"

"I'm not the person with anything to fear."

"I don't think you're telling me the truth, Commander." Zoltar smirked. "Princess was with me for a long time. You have no idea what happened while we were… together."

"This is irrelevant."

"Is it? Then why are you so nervous, Commander?"

"Our time together is short, Zoltar, let's not waste it. Now if you will tell me about…"

"Just as I thought: nervous. You suspect her, don't you? You understand that she's a walking time bomb, set to go off at the moment of my choosing."

I didn't realize that I was shaking until I felt Jason's hand on my arm.

"Steady, Princess." he told me. "He's full of hot air. You know how he can bluster."

"He's lying…" my voice cracked, suddenly uncertain. I knew the truth of myself, but what about Mark? He had been led to believe that I had turned before. And Chief Anderson… what would he think when he saw this recording?

"I know that." Jason scoffed. "And so does Mark. Zoltar's cornered, and he's using whatever he has to lash out." Logically, I knew Jason was right, but emotionally, my mind told me differently. I bit my lip to keep the tears from rolling down my face.

"I don't have time to waste listening to your lies." Mark said coldly.

"How wonderful; you don't believe me! Why do you think she was so eager to divest me of my transmitters?" Zoltar laughed nastily. "She knows that at any moment I could activate the appropriate protocols. And she's proven so trustworthy…"

"There is nothing wrong with Princess."

"Not from my point of view." Zoltar licked his lips. "I don't suppose you'd put _her_ on my guard duty, would you, Commander? We grew very close while she was my personal guest. I would be more than willing to renew that acquaintance." I could see Mark's jaw tightening as he processed Zoltar's twisted implications. Bile rose in my throat and I had to fight back the urge to scream aloud.

"Oh, I see." Zoltar appeared pleased with himself as he eyed the Commander's reaction. "You have feelings for her, don't you? I'm not surprised. Pretty little thing, in a weak sort of way. The two of you out here, all alone, in space. I guess it's not surprising that she would have provided whatever services you required… No wonder she was so talented."

I swayed, yet remained upright thanks to Jason's hand on my arm, holding me steady. I closed my eyes, grateful for the silent strength he offered.

"I don't care what you think, Zoltar." Mark said evenly. "But I have been ordered to ask you a series of questions. Are you ready to proceed?"

"Don't you want to know?" Zoltar crooned. "Don't you want to know how it felt to have her writhing and screaming beneath me? How _exactly_ I convinced her to serve the interests of Spectra? The time we spent together was most pleasurable, I assure you…"

"If you're not going to answer my questions, then I'll have to leave." The Commander raised his communicator to his mouth. "Jason, please return to the detention area." The transmission echoed behind me as Jason received the message.

"On my way, Commander." he responded, before turning to me.

"Are you going to be all right?" he asked solicitously.

"Yes… thank you." My eyes met his, conveying more than my few words.

"It will all work out, Princess." he promised. "You'll see."

"I know." I intoned, gripping the edges of the control panel for support as he left.

"You're not really going?" Zoltar asked in astonishment as Mark turned away from him. "I have so much more to tell you, Commander."

"I don't have time to waste." Mark stated blandly. "You've made it clear exactly what you are interested in telling me." Jason entered the room, and Mark waved him over to his previous spot. Jason assumed his standard position while Mark moved toward the door.

"You're just like her, aren't you?" Zoltar hissed angrily, causing the Commander to turn back and stare in amazement. "Such a cold, unfeeling bitch! Stubborn to the point of sheer stupidity, never giving in, no matter what I tried! And you… you're not even grateful! It should have been _you_ caught in my trap! _You_ should have been the one I interrogated! _You_ should have been the one on trial! You _would_ have been executed, Commander, never doubt that."

"I understand the great debt I owe to Princess." Mark said evenly.

"I took out my frustrations on her, many times." Zoltar smiled softly, a hysterical light in his eyes. "I nearly killed her with these hands, on more than one occasion. But do you know what stopped me? The only thing?"

"I don't care to…"

"I had to keep her alive." Zoltar answered his own question, dismissively waving away the Commander's words. "I knew that if I kept her alive, that if I continued to make her suffer, that you would suffer too. You couldn't stand it, could you Commander, being helpless while I had your subordinate under my control?"

Mark turned sharply, leaving the detention area without another word. Zoltar's mouth snapped shut in astonishment, as if he couldn't believe that the Commander would simply walk out on him like that. Jason glared and the former Spectran Leader's face withered. Slowly he sank to the floor, returning to his awkward sprawl as I turned off the recording.

"How could you stand it?"

I turned to see Mark in the doorway behind me, tears glistening in his eyes.

"It's like he _knows_…" Mark shook his head, as if to clear away his disturbing thoughts. "Like he knows how torn up I was inside, every moment that you were gone, imagining the horrors he was inflicting upon you. And then, only to learn, once you returned, that it was even worse than I knew…"

"I had to survive." I said simply. "I had to return. It was the only way."

"He truly is a madman." Mark sighed in frustration. "But he doesn't have everything right. I knew he was lying about you, Princess, even before he admitted as such. But he was wrong about something else. I _am_ grateful. Everything you endured, you endured for me, so that I would be safe. Only, that made it so much more difficult for me, knowing that I could have prevented what was happening to you…"

"Funny, that's what helped me stay strong." I whispered, "knowing that I was saving you from going through the hell I was living."

"You're never going to do that again." Mark lectured sternly, but I could see softer emotions shining through his eyes.

"I wasn't planning on it." I smiled. "I was actually hoping that I could just stay with you. I've had enough 'alone time' for now."

"You will stay with me always, Princess."

"I can live with that."


	17. Epilogue

Epilogue

Mark opened his eyes, his heart leaping in joy to find Princess sleeping by his side. Even after all of these months, he had not lost his sense of awe at what they shared.

The light of the Spectran suns was a mere hint on the dark horizon; the day was about to begin. He rose silently, leaving Princess undisturbed in her slumber. They had yet to share a complete physical intimacy, but she was content to sleep in his arms, and he enjoyed the protective feelings that stole over him when he held her there. They were making progress, and Mark knew that one day they would unite as a man and woman were meant to do: in love and mutual trust, without fear or darkness intruding upon them. That day was coming, and once it did, Mark planned to make Princess his wife.

For now, she lay on the large bed they shared, her silken hair spread artlessly across the pillows, her body rising and falling in an elegant grace as she slept. He would have to wake her soon enough, but for now, he wanted her to enjoy a moment of respite.

He moved over to his workstation, glancing over the communiqués that had arrived overnight. Chief Anderson wanted an update on the voter registration process that was well underway across the planet. Mark smiled to himself. Officially he no longer worked for Galaxy Security, yet somehow the Chief still thought Mark would drop everything to respond to his requests.

Mark and Princess had been serving as joint Federation Ambassadors to Spectra for the past six months. At first, their positions had been more stressful, as tensions between the Federation and the fledgling Yellow Flag government had risen upon Zoltar's death. Norei had accused Chief Anderson outright of incompetence when the former Spectran Leader had been found dead in his cell less than twenty-four hours after he had been taken to Earth. Apparently Zoltar had had his own form of implant: a chip embedded within his arm that allowed him to trigger a release of neurotoxins into his body. He had died almost instantly, before anyone had been able to recognize that anything was wrong.

President Kane had hurriedly appointed Princess, being someone who harbored a personal relationship with the high-ranking members of the Yellow Flag, to the temporary position of diplomat, sending her back to Spectra with Zoltar's body and ordering her to smooth over the situation as best she could. When Mark had insisted on accompanying her no one had protested, and President Kane had even been relieved that the Commander of G-Force was willing to assist in representing the Federation, thus demonstrating the importance of this mission. Of course, there was far more to it than that: Mark had promised Princess that they would never be separated again, and he intended to keep that promise, no matter what it took.

Princess had managed to speak sense to Fanel, Dimal, Norei, and other members of the Yellow Flag, smoothing over the diplomatic difficulties in a way that Mark never could have done. He was proud of her, and the way she had taken the most horrifying time of her life and turned it into something good: something that would help ensure peace across the galaxies for generations to come.

Their official appointment as joint ambassadors had come only a month later, as Interim Spectran Governor Fanel had signed a peace treaty with the Federation, officially ending the war. G-Force had been formally disbanded, and now Mark and Princess reported directly to President Kane, officially having no further ties to Chief Anderson, although they would always feel a kinship with their foster father. Their joint post was something of a blessing, as Mark and Princess could both make use of their individual strengths: Princess' interpersonal skills and Mark's strategic and diplomatic training. They complimented each other well, and as they always had, worked best as a team.

Princess stirred, and Mark moved over toward the bed, silently placing a soft kiss onto her lips. She smiled, murmuring appreciatively without opening her eyes. Carefully, he brushed a lock of hair from her cheek, marveling at its softness.

"It's not a dream…" she whispered.

"You're my dream." he whispered back, suddenly overwhelmed by the enormity of the changes in their lives. When Princess had been taken from him, he had been cast into despair, not knowing if he would ever see her again. Yet the horrors that she had endured had made possible the war's end, allowing them to live a life together that they might otherwise never have had.

He kissed Princess again, watching her intently as she roused herself from slumber. Once he had taken her for granted; now he knew that he could never do so again. In the end, their separation had only ensured that they would remain together.

Princess' eyes finally opened, and together, they watched the breaking of the new day.


End file.
